In 1902 a shepherd accidentally fell into a tomb at a place called Oglakhty in present-day Khakasia region of southern Siberia. Excavations quickly followed and revealed a series of subterranean tombs built like small log-cabins. Some contained spectacularly preserved organic materials, including fur coats, wooden bowls, Chinese silks and spectacular painted plaster masks adhering to the faces of the mummified dead. Next to the bodies were life-size mannequins made from grass, wrapped in leather and dressed in human clothes. The dating of the cemetery has been controversial, ranging from the first century AD onwards, and the interpretation of the finds have also attracted different views.
Join Svetlana Pankova, curator of the Siberian Collections at the The State Hermitage Museum, for a special evening lecture a Pushkin House, during which she will speak about her research and latest findings.
Svetlana Pankova is the Senior Research Fellow and Curator of the Siberian Collections at the The State Hermitage Museum and is currently making a detailed study and re-evaluation of the Siberian burials of the 3-4th c. AD.
This event is presented in partnership with the Hermitage Foundation UK.
