뉴스레터

Altai Sketch 2: The Gorno Altai, published in late 2014 by the Northeast Asian History Foundation (the "NAHF"), provides a chronological look into the prehistoric and ancient cultures that came and went in the Gorno Altai (Altai Mountains) region of Russia. This book allows the reader to explore various aspects of the history of the Gorno Altai region, including when the first human beings appeared, who they were, and how they relate to players in later cultures, as well as what tool development processes were used by players in each of the cultures, how the original culture of the first residents was inherited and further developed by later generations, how the rock art remaining across this region relates to the material civilization or spiritual culture of the time, and how the style of each of the cultures was expressed. The book also invites the reader to think about how those cultures relate to Korean national culture.

The word 'Altai' comes from the Mongolian term 'Alt,' or 'Altan,' which refers to 'gold.' In China, the word 'Altai' has been written in Chinese characters that mean 'Gold Mountain' (金山), although it has been also transliterated into Chinese as '阿尔泰' in recent years. Of course, it is not too surprising to find the word 'Altai' in the name of the city as well as in the name of the mountains, considering the statistical fact that the Gorno Altai accounts for 90 percent of the total production of gold in Russia. But the true significance of these mountains is complex, not limited to the mineral 'gold' alone, and it comes from providing an inexhaustible source of life.

This huge mountain range, stretching north-south for up to a total of 1,600 kilometers, merges with the Kalba Mountains to the northwest and with Sayan and Kuzneck to the northeast, and extends southward into Mongolia, Xinjiang of China, and eastern Kazakhstan. The highest summit of this range is 'Belukha' in the Gorno Altai, and rises as high as 4,506 meters above the sea level. The highest point in Mongol Altai is the Khuiten Peak of Tavan Bogd, and rises as high as 4,370 meters above the sea level. The other peaks spread over the Altai Mountains range from 3,000 to 4,000 meters above the sea level and they are invariably capped with permanent snow and covered in glaciers.

The Prehistoric Ancient Civilization That Flourished in the Gorno Altai

Snow and ice on top of the mountains melt into streams of water that carve the valleys and flow into the Katun River and the Biya River, which, in turn, merge with the large Obi and Irtysh Rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean. Without the permanent snow of Beluhka or Huitong in the Altai Mountains, neither the Obi River nor the Irtysh River would exist today. The Altai Mountains have a range of climate and terrain, from glaciers and permafrost to high mountain pastures and steppes, starting from the top and moving down to lower altitudes. It is home to wild animals of different types depending on climate zones, and along which the nomads move up and down in search of pastures to live on.

The traces of human life from the early Stone Age to ancient times were left in various ways and forms, and they can be found across these mountains. Archaeological excavations, surveys, and studies have been conducted in this region, and they help identify the nature of ancient culture in the Altai region and its significance in the history of civilization. They are also very helpful in finding out about the process of civilization and the circumstances of society by period, including exchange with neighboring regions. The Altai region has been studied with increasing interest, especially since the late 20th century. There have been exhibitions with "Altai" in the title, as well as field surveys by experts in various fields, including language, folklore, mythology, and religion.

The NAHF also prepared to launch 'Altai Civilization Research,' a systematic research project designed to better understand Altai. For the purpose of this project, the region surrounding the Altai Mountains was divided into four areas (Mongol Altai, Gorno Altai, Xinjiang Altai, and Kazakh Altai) for a chronological survey of the prehistoric and ancient culture that flourished in each area of this region, from the Stone Age to the ancient Turk period. The goals of the project were to, if possible, derive distinctive elements of culture from a study of the ethnic composition, linguistic custom, mythology and religion, material civilization and formative art by region and period, and to confirm the dynamics of such elements of culture in the cultural system of each ethnic group, period, and area.

To achieve these goals, the NAHF and local researchers conducted a joint research in 2012 on various aspects of the Mongol Altai region, including ethnic composition, language, mythology and religion, material civilization, and formative art, and published the result in 2013 in a book titled Altai Sketch 1: Mongol Altai. The joint research for the Gorno Altai region was conducted in 2013, and the result, Altai Sketch 2: The Gorno Altai, was published in 2014.

A Confirmed Link to Korean National Culture

Altai Sketch 2: The Gorno Altai consists of a total of seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the topographical characteristics of the Altai region. Chapters 2 to 5 present the culture of this region by period, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age to the Scythian period to the Xiongnu period. These chapters were written by Professor A. Kungurov at the Altai State University in Russia, Dr. N. Bokovenko at the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, and Professor A. Tishkin at the Altai State University, based on their extensive experience in field research. In Chapter 6, Dr. E. Devlet at the Archaeology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences gave a chronological description of the rock art discovered in this region. In Chapter 7, I discussed the connection between Altai and Korean national culture.

The researchers who participated in this joint project stated that the prehistoric and ancient cultures that had flourished in the Gorno Altai region could be collectively referred to as the 'Altai civilization,' and it had continued to this day without any interruption. They also confirmed that despite time, space, and ethnic differences, the spiritual culture and material civilization in this region was definitely not unrelated to Korean national culture.