Educational Expedition to an Open-air Museum

The School of Advanced Studies (SAS) attracts students not only from different regions of Russia, but also from other countries. To familiarize them with the cultural peculiarities of the Tyumen Region and its history, SAS professor Ksenia Gerasimova traveled with first-year students to the Archaeological Museum-Reserve on Andreyev Lake as part of the History of Russia course.

The students learned about the way of life and economy of Bronze and Iron Age societies, learned about the peculiarities of prehistoric trade (for example, it turned out that beavers were the currency back then) and even tried to distinguish mammoth bones from hairy rhinoceros bones. After the trip, students shared with each other what they remembered most: some saw a tent for the first time, some saw the remains of ancient animals found during excavations, some were impressed by the living conditions and human survival, and Fahida Abdul Hamid, an SAS student from India, discovered that the ancient peoples of Russia and India had a similar way of idol worship.

“Studying local history helps students form personal identities and appreciate history as a continuous but destructive process of changing eras,” said Ksenia Gerasimova.