Note: This book has been translated with Google Translate.
Aslan Tov, Honored Cultural Worker of the Republic of Adygea and Senior Researcher at the National Museum of Adygea, has participated in numerous excavations, searching for crumbling archaeological sites. He is confident that the land of Adygea is no less rich in them than, say, Egypt. "SA" met with the archaeologist and learned what attracted him to this profession, how he manages to "see through the earth," and the unspoken rule all archaeologists abide by.
From the Ancient World
Aslan Tov, who lived in the small village of Tauykhabl in the Teuchezhsky District, developed an interest in archaeology back in the fifth grade, thanks to his history studies at school.
" It was 1960. We, fifth-graders, had just begun studying ancient history. All those cave paintings, frescoes, and ancient artifacts were breathtaking. It was also significant how enthusiastically our teacher, Saferbiy Makhmudovich Ashinov, told us about Greece and Egypt, showing us colorful illustrations. We listened with bated breath. Moreover, after school, we would walk to the outskirts of the village where ancient settlements had once stood. And there, we actually found shards of pottery and other artifacts. The history of our land was right under our feet. As children, many of us read books about lost cities and hidden treasures. I was drawn to the mysteries of the past and the stories associated with them, and, as it turns out, it's precisely the search for clues to such mysteries that archaeologists engage in, " Aslan Tov shared his memories.
He had a difficult path ahead of him. After finishing school, most village boys usually stayed on to work on the collective farm. That's what Aslan did: after receiving his certificate, he went to work on the farm the very next day. Then he completed a course for machine operators and became a tractor driver.
" My first tractor was a battered, old Belarus MTZ-5. I mastered the machine very quickly. The collective farm chairman said the furrow I cut with the tractor was straighter than a school school assembly line, " the scientist smiles.
However, his dream of archaeology never went away. He served in the army, returned to the collective farm, and in his free time explored the outskirts of the village, the riverbanks, and discovered amazing things.
Incidentally, many of his finds are now kept in the North Caucasus branch of the Museum of Oriental Art.
" I once found some bronze objects and jewelry inlaid with gold. This discovery seemed very important, and after learning through friends that there was a historical and archaeological museum in Krasnodar, I went there. The museum staff listened attentively to my story, examined the finds, and recommended that I contact the North Caucasus branch of the Museum of Oriental Art, " our interviewee recounts.
Aslan Tov prepared thoroughly and brought a full box of his finds, including antique horse harnesses and bronze jewelry.
The museum specified the exact location of the artifacts found, stating that the area contained Proto-Maeotian and Maeotian burial grounds and medieval settlements, and that ancient people had lived there continuously for millennia. Archaeologists from Moscow and St. Petersburg subsequently worked there, republican museum expeditions were organized, and even archaeologists from France visited.
Meanwhile, Aslan Tov decided he needed to study, and without the collective farm chairman's knowledge, he enrolled in the Adyghe Pedagogical Institute (now Adyghe State University – Ed.) in the philology department.
" I realized I needed to get a higher education. I knew the collective farm chairman wouldn't approve of my decision, so early in the morning I took the first bus to Maykop, where I successfully passed the entrance exams. With my student ID in hand, I confessed everything to the director, " shared Aslan Tov. " Studying was a very important step for me and opened up completely new horizons. In Maykop, I organized my first archaeological exhibition featuring artifacts I'd found around the village—there were already over a thousand of them!"
In 1981, an expedition from the Museum of the East, led by the renowned archaeologist Alexander Leskov, arrived in Adygea from Moscow for the first time.
At the time, Aslan Tov was working as part of the Hermitage's archaeological expedition. Excavations were underway in the village of Vladimirsky, not far from Kelermesskaya, when Aslan received word that Leskov wanted to meet with him. The occasion for their meeting was the Moscow scholar's visit to Tov's archaeological exhibition. The visitor praised all the artifacts collected and immediately strongly recommended that Aslan be hired at the Adygea Museum of Local History (now the National Museum of the Republic of Adygea).
Mound-sanctuary
" In July 1982, we began excavating burial mounds in Ulyap. One of the mounds was impressive—over five meters high and fifty-two meters in circumference. We marked out the mound along the trenches and began scraping away the soil." Aslan Tov's appearance is even transformed by these memories. "Soon a wooden structure of thick posts and logs covered with reeds and grass appeared. The work was labor-intensive. We excavated a four-sided pyramidal tent—a single-use temple."
The scientist recalls that the remains of 29 sacrificed horses lay on top of the structure. The burial mound had apparently been previously looted, so no jewelry or ornaments were found inside. However, a large bronze cauldron was discovered—the sacred cauldron of the Narts, the largest yet discovered by archaeologists in Adygea. It was a remarkable find, immediately taken to Moscow. In 2013, the cauldron returned to the republic. It is kept in the North Caucasus branch of the State Museum of Oriental Art.
" The cauldron itself was made of bronze by the Scythians, approximately between the second half of the sixth and first half of the fifth century BC. When it was discovered, even fragments of the tarred, red woolen cloth lining the mouth of the cauldron were preserved. Inside, fragments of a wooden lid, pieces of a wicker basket, and bovine bones were discovered, " Aslan Tov describes the find.
The cauldron's diameter is approximately 90 centimeters, its body is over a meter high, its walls are three centimeters thick, and it weighs at least 300 kilograms. The Narty epic tells the story of a legendary cauldron possessing magical properties and considered one of the sacred vessels of antiquity.
Enlightenment
All of Aslan Tov's archaeologists are convinced that he really can see through the earth.
" Even Leskov, during his visit to Adygea, told me that wherever I set foot, there was sure to be some archaeological find. Yes, the land of my homeland generously shared its secrets and treasures with me, " Aslan Tov says with a smile about his gift. " There was this: we were working on a specific site—one of the Ulyap burial mounds—but to no avail. Everyone was upset. When the work was nearing completion, I took a shovel, walked around the mound, chose a spot, removed one layer of soil, then a second, and on the third, luck smiled on me: I found several ancient gold plaques. How and why I chose to work on that particular spot, I can't explain. That's when Leskov asked me: 'Aslan, can you see through the earth?'"
And there are many such cases where Aslan Tov finds rare artifacts "out of nowhere." He says he was once working at a museum when he suddenly decided to go to the riverbank in a village. It was as if some force told him he was needed there. He went and walked along the bank. Suddenly, he saw something glitter underfoot. He bent down—something, covered in earth, he couldn't immediately discern what it was. It was autumn, rain had begun, and the archaeologist decided to call it a day on his "treasure hunt." Once back at the museum, he examined his find and discovered it was a small golden balsamarium jug—vessels like these were used to store cosmetic oils in ancient times. Today, this golden jug adorns one of the displays in the Museum of the East.
Aslan Tov's inner voice never failed him. Incidentally, in 2018, an exhibition at the National Museum of the Republic of Armenia, dedicated to the scientist's 70th birthday, was titled "The Man Who Sees Through the Earth."
The archaeologist has participated in numerous excavations. He discovered the Psekupsky, Martabgishkha, Kapaneshko, Kapanezhiy, and Pshish burial grounds, as well as the settlements and settlements of Pkhagugape, Chishkho, Pshikuykhablskoye, Necherezyskoye, and Leninakhablskoye.
" Excavating burial grounds isn't actually a godly activity, but it's the primary occupation of archaeologists; we can't escape it. Unfortunately, without uncovering burial mounds, ancient settlements, and sanctuaries, many peoples of the world would be unable to discover information about their history, " explains Aslan Tov. " Therefore, before excavations, we usually conduct a memorial ceremony. We must understand that we, archaeologists, are working on burial sites consecrated by ancient priests. Therefore, disturbing someone's millennia-old peace is like opening a portal to the past."
He believes that ancient objects must be treated with great care and respect—this is an unspoken law of archaeology that all members of the profession adhere to.
To date, the majority of excavations have been conducted in the Maykop, Teuchezh, Krasnogvardeisky, and Shovgenovsky districts. The remaining areas are still awaiting exploration, so there's plenty of work for archaeologists in Adygea.
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