Private Collection of Seima-Turbino Bronzes from the Irtysh: The Tragedy of a Unique Site Destroyed by Unauthorized Excavations

Private Collection of Seima-Turbino Bronzes from the Irtysh: The Tragedy of a Unique Site Destroyed by Unauthorized Excavations

V.I. Molodin and A.V. Neskorov.

This article describes a private collection of bronze artifacts obtained by means of the unauthorized excavation of a presumably Bronze Age burial ground located in Omsk. Most of the artifacts (furcate spearheads, celts, daggers, and a staff top) are of the Seima-Turbino type and are highly informative. They suggest that the Odino and Krotovo people who settled in the Ob–Irtysh basin in the Bronze Age practiced a developed metallurgy and manufactured highquality weapons. Detailed descriptions of the artifacts are illustrated by photographs and drawings and parallels are discussed.

Keywords: Om River, Irtysh River, Middle Bronze Age, Seima-Turbino bronzes, furcate spearheads, celts, daggers, staff
tops, unauthorized excavations.