The Azov Museum of History, Archaeology and Palaeontology () in
Azov
Azov (, ), previously known as Azak ( Turki/ Kypchak: ),
is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. The population is
History
Early settlements in the vici ...
,
Rostov oblast
Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblastʹ, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast ...
, is a
museum reserve in Russia. It is one of the largest museums in the south of Russia, particularly notable for its palaeontological collection.
History
The museum was first opened on 17 May 1917 by the efforts of Mikhail Aronovich Makarovskiy and the town's civic society, and displayed small items given by the local population (old coins, postage stamps, bullets and so on), but was destroyed shortly afterwards in the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
. It was reopened in 1937 but the collections were lost during the occupation by German troops in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war the local people tried to revive the museum, but to do so took until 1960.
The museum occupies the premises of the old town hall. It also administers the
Powder Cellar Museum.
Exhibits
The palaeontological collection contains skeletons of
deinotherium
''Deinotherium'' (from Ancient Greek , ''()'', meaning "terrible", and ''()'', meaning "beast"), is an extinct genus of large, elephant-like proboscideans that lived from the middle-Miocene until the end of the Early Pleistocene. Although its ap ...
,
woolly rhinoceros
The woolly rhinoceros (''Coelodonta antiquitatis'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that inhabited northern Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch. The woolly rhinoceros was a member of the Pleistocene megafauna. The woolly rhinoceros was larg ...
,
elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros that lived in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and East Asia during Late Miocene through to the Late Pleistocene, with the youngest reliable dates of at least 39,000 years ago. It was ...
and
steppe bison
The steppe bison (''Bison'' ''priscus'', also less commonly known as the steppe wisent and the primeval bison) is an extinct species of bison which lived from the Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene. During the Late Pleistocene, it was widely dist ...
. The museum also has two complete skeletons of
steppe mammoths, a male and a female.
Gallery
Steppe mammoth skeleton, Azov Museum (3).jpg, Steppe mammoth
Steppe mammoth skeleton, Azov Museum (1).jpg, Steppe mammoth
Steppe mammoth skeleton, Azov Museum (2).jpg, Steppe mammoth
Steppe mammoth skeleton, Azov Museum (4).jpg, Steppe mammoth
File:Deinotherium skeleton, Azov Museum (4).jpg, Deinotherium
File:Woolly rhinoceros skull, Azov Museum.jpg, Woolly rhinoceros
File:Elasmotherium skeleton, Azov Museum (2).jpg, Elasmotherium
File:Steppe bison skeleton, Azov Museum.jpg, Steppe bison
File:Various bones, Azov Museum.jpg, Bones (various species)
File:Excavation site reconstruction, Azov Museum.jpg, Reconstruction of steppe mammoth excavation site
File:Gorytos and sword sheath, Azov Museum.jpg, Gorytos
A gorytos (, ) is a type of leather bow-case for a short composite bow used by the Scythians in classical antiquity. They are a combination of bow case and quiver in one, and are worn on the archer's left hip with the opening tilted rearward. M ...
and sword sheath
File:Venetian naval cannon, Azov Museum.jpg, Venetian naval cannon
File:Mortar, Azov Museum (2).jpg, Mortar
File:Cannon, Azov Museum (1).jpg, Cannon
File:Cannon, Azov Museum (2).jpg, Cannon
File:Cannon, Azov Museum (3).jpg, Cannon
File:Turkish mortar, Azov Museum.jpg, Turkish mortar
File:Gold plaques from horse cloak, Azov Museum.jpg, Gold plaques from caparison
A caparison is a cloth covering laid over a horse or other animal for protection and decoration. In modern times, they are used mainly in parades and for historical reenactments. A similar term is horse-trapper. The word is derived from the Lat ...
s
References
Further reading
*''Музеи России (комплекс., ист., естественно-науч., техн., отраслевые)'': спpав. Ч. 4. М., 1993. p. 77
*Richagova, E.: ''Из глубины веков…'', in ''Азовская неделя'', 26 March 2015, p. 10
*Barannikova, A.: ''Музей для детей'', in ''Город N.'' 23 December 2014, p. 44
*Richagova, E.: ''Азовскому музею — 95'', in ''Азовская неделя'', 24 May 2012, pp. 1, 4
*Zekrach, М.: ''Хранитель истории'', in ''Приазовье'', 23 May 2012, p. 12
*Richagova, Е.: ''От городской управы до музея'', in ''Азовская неделя'', 18 May 2006, p. 1
*Semyonova, S. V.: ''Азовская диковина'', in ''Дон. временник'', 2009, pp. 146–148
*Felotova, Т. А.: ''Азов и его музей'', in ''Там же.'', 2007, pp. 59–62
*Boranova, G.: ''Визитная карточка Азова'', in ''Приазовье'', 16 May 2002, p. 4
*Kravtsova, Е. ''Хранители древностей'', in ''Новая азов. газ.'', 23 May 2002, p. 5
*Visavskaya, I.: ''Музей открыл миру Азов'', in ''Азовская неделя'', 16 May 2002, p. 1
*Gorvenko, А.: ''Азовский краеведческий'', in ''Приазовье'', 18 May 1996, p. 7
*Dik, N.: ''Сокровища кочевников Евразии: об экспозиции музея-заповедника'', in ''Азов'', 2010, No. 3 (October), p. 12-13
*Boranova, G.: ''Свидетель истории (история здания музея-заповедника)'', in ''Красное Приазовье'', 14 August 1984
*Visavskaya, I.: ''Музей открыл миру Азов'', in ''Азовская неделя'', 16 May 2002, p. 1
External links
Azov Museums websiteMuseum.ru - M836Culture.ru - Institutes/11289
{{coord, 47.1117, 39.4236, type:landmark_region:RU, display=title
Azov
Museums in Rostov Oblast
Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast
Museums-Reserves of Russia