6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 1 10 



Ural regions, particular attention has been paid to the so-called 

 Ananino culture, which is a connecting link between the Bronze Age 

 and the formation of now existing nationalities of these districts. 

 During the Soviet period large-scale investigations have been begun 

 to elucidate the early history of the Udmurts, the Komis, the Bashkirs, 

 and the Mordovian tribes. 



Special attention has been given to a study of the Bulgar and 

 Khazar cultures. It is now possible to reconstruct a picture of the 

 life in the Bulgar cities of the Volga region (Bulgari, Suvara, and 

 others) both in ancient times and in the period of the Golden Horde. 

 A systematic study of the material relating to the Khazars has made 

 it possible to elucidate a number of obscure aspects of Russian-Khazar 

 relations in the history of the Slavonic-Russian colonization of the 

 southeast. 



Without the efforts of archeologists the early pages of the history 

 of the Bulgars, the Khazars, the eastern Slavs, and the even earlier 

 Scythian and Greek colonies on the north coast of the Black Sea, and 

 of ancient Armenia and Georgia would still remain unknown. 



Academician Meshchaninov delivered a report on the planning of 

 archeological expeditions in the U.S.S.R. Many of the archeo- 

 logical investigations, both theoretical and field researches outlined 

 for the 1 945- 1 949 period, are closely linked with key problems con- 

 cerning the history of Soviet peoples which have been singled out 

 for attention in the last few years. In most cases plans for large-scale 

 excavations provide for the cooperation of several scientific institutes. 



The plan also provides for systematic researches covering several 

 years and extensive regions. In liberated cities where reconstruction 

 will be carried out on a large scale, appropriate archeological work 

 is being planned as well as measures for preserving the most im- 

 portant monuments of the past. 



One of the tasks confronting Soviet archeologists is that of restor- 

 ing the collections of many of the museums plundered by the Nazis 

 and the restoration of many treasures of Soviet art and architecture 

 damaged during the German occupation. 



Academician Grabar made a report on new legislation concerning 

 the preservation and study of archeological monuments. 



