Research in the Yamal Arctic region and Subarctic region in the 2000s

Archaeological research of the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Western Siberia began back in the 1920s; however, until the early 2000s this research conducted by a small team of scientists from Moscow and St. Petersburg was mostly focused on isolated issues. The paper examines recent studies that have been demonstrating a gradual increase in scope of activities. The issues under these studies focus mainly on three areas: the history of settlement patterns, including exploitation of the Ob River valley and the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas; development of adaptations to polar conditions such as biological, economic and social/cultural adaptations; cultural interactions with neighboring regions and centers of ancient and medieval civilizations. We may infer from this analysis that during the period from the early 2000s to the present day: (i) the number of archaeological sites discovered in this Arctic and Subarctic regions of Western Siberia and included in the state register of sites from the Stone Age to the modern period has increased dramatically; (ii) a series of publications, including monographs which analyze some of these sites, has been released; (iii) starting from the early 2000s, all studies have been comprehensive and interdisciplinary, with impressive series of absolute dates having been obtained. One of the major reasons is state support of archaeological investigations in this region.