On February 12th, at the People and Technologies of the Urals exhibition-and-museum complex of SUSU, an opening ceremony was held for an exhibition on “Magic of Metal: Ancient Metallurgy of the South Ural Region” dedicated to the history of metallurgy of the 3rd-1st millennium BC.
Metallurgy in the Urals is not just a sector of economy, it is an important part of the historical legacy of our region related to the activity of famous manufacturers and merchant dynasties, big-scale industrialization and significant contribution to the Great Victory. Today metallurgy is still a key element of the economic and cultural development of the South Ural region.
Director of the SUSU Eurasian Studies Research and Education Centre Aleksandr Tairov offered a word of welcome:
“This exhibition is about metallurgy, and first and foremost about non-ferrous metallurgy, which completely changed the whole humanity. The South Ural region is in the centre of changes in these technologies. This year’s excavations have shown that the first goods made of metal appeared back in the 3rd millennium BC. The roots of modern technologies originate in the Neolithic Age, Bronze and early Iron Age.”
The dramatic change of the lifestyle related to innovative technologies of ore mining and metal production considerably transformed the worldview of the Ural residents. These changes manifested themselves not only in emergence of new symbolic images, but also in rituals depicted at the monuments and temples.
“Today, it is difficult to imagine what our would have been like without metals, and what further development of the humanity could have resulted in without this industry,” stressed Iuliia Vasina, head of the teaching exhibition-and-museum complex. “Development of metallurgy encompassed 1000 discoveries and mysteries. It is worth noting that the steppe zone is better studied than the forest zone. Namely this exhibition amazes with uniquely magnificent and rare items presented.”
The exhibition visitors had a unique opportunity to look at the finds from the early Iron Age monuments on Lake Irtiash. The collection of 250 items was presented by Ozorsk City Museum. The museum collection dedicated to the Itkul culture of the early Iron Age, is probably the biggest in the Chelyabinsk Region.
“I’m greatly impressed by this exhibition, especially when I see the items, which were discovered with my own participation. All the finds presented here provide an understanding of how rich the history of the Chelyabinsk Region is,” shared SUSU student Vlada Titenko.
Laboratory for Archaeological Research and Archaeological Regional Ethnography for School Pupils of South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University presented their materials obtained during excavations at the Ustye settlement in the Country of Towns network of proto-cities (excavations by Doctor of Sciences (History) N.B. Vinogradov).
The South Ural Federal Research Centre for Mineralogy and Geoecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented the latest materials on studying of ancient copper mines.
For the first time, the Scientific and Educational Centre for Research on the Problems of Nature and Man of Chelyabinsk State University presented unique finds Neolithic Age of the for the public (field research of 2025).
To arrange the “Mining” and “Metallurgy” info tablets, images had been used presented by the “State History Museum of South Ural” Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture.
Materials of the Archeos Experimental Archaeology Association had been used for the exhibition as well.
The exhibition is open at Rooms 018-020, 76 Lenin Prospekt (SUSU main building), February 12th through June 25th.
Visitors are welcome on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 till 16:00. Entrance is free.
You can book excursions at 267-96-16.