Siberian Scientific School of Prehistoric Art Founded by Academician A. P. Okladnikov

Purpose. One of the most important research areas studied by A. P. Okladnikov was prehistoric art, in particular its origin and correlation with the concept of “aesthetic beginning”, as well as issues of ancient art development and a number of other related aspects. Siberian scientific school of prehistoric art founded by academician A. P. Okladnikov has already made a significant contribution to the study of prehistoric art on a worldwide scale. Results. A. P. Okladnilov’s scientific interest in prehistoric art issues formed at the beginning of the 1960s, when he moved to Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk. The scientific school was formed on the basis of the Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy of SB RAS. A group of scientists from the institute organized a team which started to develop projects in several aspects: a) studied specific issues of the research program based on the leader’s ideas; b) provided training for specialists; c) organized and coordinated efforts of different research groups studying prehistoric art issues. Conclusion. Academician A. P. Okladnikov is an outstanding Soviet archaeologist, historian and anthropologist, an initiator and the first Director of the Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy of the AS in the USSR (currently the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of SB RAS), which was founded in 1966. Ancient history aspects under investigation at those times included the study of initial human settlements and the spread of Paleolithic traditions on the Asian continent, old cultural ties between Asia and America, ethnogenesis and early history of indigenous Siberian and Far Eastern peoples and their inclusion into the Russian state, the formation of Russian culture in Siberia and many others. A. P. Okladnikov organized a series of archaeological expeditions, and the geography of his Siberian expeditions covered a vast region from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, from the Arctic Ocean in the north to Central Asia in the south. Dozens of talented researchers followed A. P. Okladnikov and made important archaeological discoveries. Their research areas cover a wide range of topical issues. Today it is the students of this researcher who largely determine the vector of archaeological development.