Evgeniy Ignat’evich Krupnov – Organizer of Kabardino-Balkaria Archaeological Studies

The paper provides a brief overview of the role played by E. I. Krupnov, a prominent Russian archaeologist and a caucasologist, his colleagues and followers as pioneers of regional archaeological science in Kabardino-Balkaria. In the postwar period E. I. Krupnov headed the Archaeological Department in the Kabardian Research Institute, he excavated archaeological sites of the Republic with the support of the expeditions of the State Historical Museum and the Institute for the History of Material Culture. Possibly, Evgeniy Ignat’evich invited many archaeologists, among them P. G. Akritas, K. E. Grinevich, S. N. Zamyatin, and others to work in the region. Along with the A. A. Iessen, E. I. Krupnov was the first researcher to write ancient and medieval history of Kabardino-Balkaria. The book on Ancient History and Culture of Kabarda that he published in 1957 became an important result of this work. He devoted a lot of time to maintain correspondence with his colleagues, consulting them on various issues and was also engaged in scientific and pedagogical activities. With his support young specialists with scientific degrees, namely, I. M. Mizieva, A. Kh. Nagoeva, V. M. Batchaeva, I. M. Chechenova, were invited to work in the Archaeological Department of the Kabardino-Balkarian Research Institute (KBRI). The author of this study emphasizes that E. I. Krupnov and his followers laid the foundations of modern regional archaeology and formed the basis for our current knowledge on the ancient and medieval periods in the history of the North Caucasus peoples.