From March 28 to March 31, 2006, Gorno-Altaisk hosted the International Conference "Frozen Burials in the Altai Mountains: Strategies and Prospects", organized by the University of Ghent (Belgium) and Gorno-Altaisk State University with the support of UNESCO. The conference was timed to coincide with the" Year of Altai " (2005), declared by UNESCO. The very fact of holding a scientific forum under the auspices of UNESCO dedicated to the study and protection of cultural heritage in Siberia is remarkable. The conference brought together archaeologists and representatives of natural sciences-geographers (glaciologists, permafrost specialists, satellite cartographers), geophysicists, discussed the phenomenon of nature and culture of Gorny Altai-mounds with permafrost, as well as methods of their study. One day of the forum was devoted to the archaeological aspects of the problem, the second-to the study of the natural context of historical monuments; there were also reports related to interdisciplinary research, in which representatives of different sciences participated. Issues related to ancient art in one way or another were discussed in ten reports. On the first day, the conference participants received official greetings from representatives of the government structures of the Altai Republic (First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic). Heads of the Altai Republic Yu. V. Antaradonov, first Deputy. Minister of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the Republic B. V. Pakhaev), then the forum was consecrated by shamans, which included pantomime and throat singing, and the presentation of the UNESCO project on permafrost burials of the Pazyryk culture in Altai, presented by Yu. Hahn (UNESCO, Paris), scientific reports were also heard. Yu. P. Badenkov (Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) made a vivid presentation on the need to combine strategies for economic development and nature conservation in the Altai region in th ... Читать далее