Archeology of Siberia in D.G. Messerschmidt’s Documents

The paper focuses on the study of unpublished documents about the archaeological sites of Siberia by the German natural scientist from Danzig, doctor of medicine Daniel Gottlieb Mes­serschmidt, who made the first scientific expedition to the Northeast of Eurasia (1719–1727) as instructed by Peter the Great. The preserved expeditionary sketches, not distorted by any subsequent engraving, are critical as they represent the first graphic reflection of ample archaeo­logical and epigraphic sites of Siberia discovered by the traveller. The documents helped to remodel not only D.G. Messerschmidt’s archaeological collection, but also the archaeological compilations of the first Russian public museum. The research helped to collect a complete set of graphic materials depicting the archeological sites of the first combined expedition to Siberia. It proves that D.G. Messerschmidt’s collection (370 artefacts) received by the Kunstkamera was the most representative Siberian archaeological collection not only in Russia of that time, but in the whole world.