Experimental-Traceological Laboratory of IHMC RAS: its formation, development and current situation
The Experimental-Traceological Laboratory of IHMC RAS was created by the outstanding Russian archaeologist Sergei Aristarkhovich Semenov – the father of the traceological method (use-wear analysis), which is now widely applied by archaeologists all over the world. The foundation of the laboratory was preceded by a long period of 1930es–1950es, when S. A. Semenov carried out his research independently, being a post-graduate student and than a research fellow at the institute. The method was verified on archaeological materials and immediately received unanimous support from colleagues. The essence of the method consists in the identification of microscopic use-wear traces on the working edges of ancient tools. When properly analyzed, these traces can be indicative of both tool functions and physical properties of worked substances. The method was worked out by Semenov with a particular purpose, namely for the study of the history of tools, primordial technologies, and forms of economy. He worked on these problems during all his life. In 1950es–1960es the first students of Semenov (G. F. Korobkova, V. E. Shchelinsky) started their research career, which contributed to a wider application of traceological and experimental studies in archaeology, as well as to the improvement of the method itself. In 1964 the first of Semenov's monographs («Prehistoric Technology») was published in English, and soon after that the traceological method was taken on board by many researchers in West Europe and the USA. The Experimental-Traceological Laboratory was formally established in 1973. It became possible to recruit new staff members, to acquire necessary equipment, and to increase both the scope and quality of the experimental-traceological research. Nowadays the Experimental-Traceological Laboratory of IHMC RAS is the leading research unit of its kind in Russia.