Egy ásatás a 15. századi Selyemúton? Giosafat Barbaro tanai kalandja és információtörténeti hozadéka
An Excavation on the 15th Century Silk Road? Giosafat Barbaro’s Adventure in Tana

Summary/Abstract: There is no doubt that for as long as the world has existed, there have been those who have not hesitated to dig up the graves of individuals, cemeteries of communities or even entire settlements from decades, centuries or even millennia ago in search of treasures. At most, we know of only a few cases where historical and archaeological data together provide evidence of attempts to loot earlier burials or even settlements covered with soil. A particularly fascinating case is that of Giosafat Barbaro, a Venetian diplomat, merchant and adventurer-traveller, who had one of the most colourful and interesting careers of the 15th century. According to some accounts, Barbaro arrived as an envoy of the Venetian Republic in the city of Tana (nowadays: Azov). Barbaro and his partners hired around a hundred and twenty workers and carried out two cycles of exploration on the hill called Contebe, near the river Don. Although no treasures were ultimately found, Barbaro made almost modern excavation observations at the site. Alexander Alexandrovich Miller, former director of the Russian Museum and leader of the so-called North Caucasus Archaeological Expedition, which started in 1922, initiated an excavation near the village of Kobjakovo on the banks of the Don River in the mid-1920s, nearly five hundred years after Barbaro’s venture. During the excavation, the Russian archaeologist discovered the remains of a very important settlement of many periods. The site, known as the ’Russian Troy’, was eventually identified as the site of Barbaro’s excavation.

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