A Study Of Pytor Kuzmich Kozlov’s Archaeological Expeditions And Excavations In Central Asia

Pytor Kuzmich Kozlov(Пётр Кузьмич Козлов, 1863—1935) was a naturalist and explorer of Tsarist Russia and the former Soviet Union. In his early years, as apprentice of Przhevalsky he followed his teacher to Central Asia, China’s Xinjiang province and eastern Tibet. After Przhevalsky’s death, Kozlov took charge of the exploration team that went to Sichuan, Qinghai, Mongolia, Tibet and other places in China. During his seven visits to Central Asia, he carried out two significant archaeological excavations. In 1908, at Khara-Khoto, he discovered Xixia city site, During 1923—1925, he excavated Hun graves in Noin-Ula, Mongolia. The second excavation triggered a new study of the Hun and his two archaeological excavations revealed the two groups’ activities in their respective regions, their cultural communications, as well as their exchanges with other cultures; while the two archaeological excavations also provided important data for Hun and Tangut studies, making Russia the vanguard in XiXia study. This was also the beginning of Soviet-Mongolian joint archaeological work in Mongolia.Kozlov visited Central Asia seven times, during which time he got rich results in natural science and geography. His two archaeological excavations shocked the academic circle and founded two new academic research fields. Kozlov’s excavations in Noin-Ula supplied archaeological materials to Hun studies, turned political and military research into a study of cultural and socio-economic structure. In Khara-khoto’s excavations, Russia took the vanguard place in Xixia studies. Success translated Xixia characters and revealed Xixia history to the world. The outcome of his expeditions gives many details of Central Aisa for Western society, provides detailed information and necessary data for the later scientific research in Central Asia and the northwest of China. For a long time, the academic study of Kozlov focused only on his excavations in Khara-Khoto(his fourth travel to Mongolia and Sichuan), while his archaeological activities in Noin-Ula ruins were ignored. This thesis aims to show Kozlov’s life activities through his seven expeditions to Central Asia, emphasizing and interpreting his excavation activities. In this way the thesis contributes to a broader understand of Kozlov’s life and his archaeological excavations.