Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 53 (1) 2025   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.1.118-125

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Ritual Structures in the Volga and Ural Regions, Based on Findings of the Peter Simon Pallas Expedition

A.Y. Borisenko

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

In the 18th century, the ancient and traditional cultures of ethnic groups inhabiting the Russian Empire came to the attention of prominent scholars. This was in accordance with the ruling empress' new attitude toward heterodox citizens of her state. This study describes findings of the Peter Simon Pallas 1768-1769 expedition to the Volga region and the Urals, published in 1773 in the second volume of his fundamental work “Travel to Different Provinces of the Russian Empire”. Special attention is paid to scarce but important evidence about ritual structures associated with various confessions, and places where various pagan rites were performed by local dwellers of the respective areas. A number of sites have since been subjected to anthropogenic factors, destroyed, or rebuilt, sometimes radically changing their function. To various degrees Pallas's descriptions supplement the available information and can be used by experts as a source of knowledge about the traditional beliefs and history of certain monuments of religious architecture.

Keywords: Volga region, Ural region, 18th century scholarly expeditions, Peter Simon Pallas, ritual structures, traditional beliefs