Archaeological study of Kyrgyzstan in the 1920s–1930s: institutions, expeditions, methodology

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the formation and dynamics of archaeological research in Kyrgyzstan during the 1920s-1930s within the context of institutionalizing heritage protection and building local research infrastructure. It utilizes published expedition reports, museum collections, restoration and mapping records, applying source criticism, historical-comparative analysis, archaeological stratigraphy, topographic survey, and typology. The study reconstructs key fieldwork directions: inventory and protection of architectural heritage; surveys and excavations of sites in the Chüy and Talas valleys and Issyk-Kul basin; research on nomadic burial mounds; and rescue archaeology along the Great Chüy Canal (1941). By the late 1930s, Kyrgyz archaeology transitioned from sporadic reconnaissance to systematic excavations with stratigraphic recording, mapping, and restoration within a Marxist-Leninist interpretive framework. The institutional and methodological foundations, as well as contributions of interregional and local institutions in organizing expeditions and training specialists, are outlined.