Arkaim and "The Russian Idea"

The archaeological site of Arkaim, often dubbed the "Russian Stonehenge," represents a significant discovery in the Southern Urals, unearthing a neolithic settlement dated to approximately 2150–1650 BCE within the Sintashta culture. This fortified settlement, located in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast near the Kazakhstan border, was serendipitously identified in 1987 by a team led by Gennady Zdanovich, just as the area faced submersion for a planned reservoir. The site’s preservation was secured through a concerted effort involving both academic and public advocacy, culminating in its designation as a historical reserve in 1991 amidst the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Structurally, Arkaim astonishes with its advanced design—concentric adobe walls, sophisticated drainage systems, and evidence of metallurgical expertise—suggesting a highly organized society from the Late Middle Bronze Age. Its circular layout, encompassing roughly 20,000 square meters, includes two rings of dwellings and has been likened to cosmological models in ancient Indo-Iranian texts, enhancing its scholarly intrigue.

The Putin visit in 2005 (Shnirelman 1998; 2012, pp. 27–28) marks a pivotal moment in Arkaim’s modern narrative, elevating its status beyond archaeological curiosity to a symbol within Russian socio-political discourse. Accompanied by Zdanovich, President Vladimir Putin’s tour of the site was extensively covered by Russian media, which portrayed Arkaim as a potential ancestral homeland for much of Asia and parts of Europe. Zdanovich posited it as a cradle of the Ario-Slavic peoples, a notion that dovetailed with emerging nationalist sentiments. This visit catalyzed the conceptualization of Arkaim as embodying the "Russian idea", a nationalist ideology framing Russia as a civilizational nexus with deep historical roots. Scholars like Victor Shnirelman have critiqued this politicization, noting its exploitation by ethnic nationalists who interpret the site’s swastika-like patterns and advanced construction as evidence of a superior proto-Russian civilization, even linking it to mythical locales like Asgard.

Complementing this, the "Russian idea" finds further resonance in Arkaim’s appropriation by various spiritual and nationalist movements, including Rodnovers and Zoroastrians, who venerate it as a sacred site and a second Indo-European homeland. This mystical allure is amplified by its comparison to Stonehenge, though Arkaim predates and surpasses it in astronomical precision, fuelling theories of extraterrestrial origins or lost civilizations.

The discovery of Arkaim reinvigorated the debate about the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans, seemingly confirming its location in Siberia. After their discovery, Arkaim and the Land of Towns have been interpreted by some as the "land of the Aryans", the centre of a statehood of a monarchical type, and ultimately the model for a new spiritual civilisation harmonised with the universe. Agencies related to the Russian Orthodox Church have been critical of such activities relating to Arkaim's archaeology.

The discovery of Arkaim and the Land of Towns has fueled the growth of schools of thought among Russian Rodnovers, Roerichians, Assianists, Zoroastrians, Hindus and others which regard the archaeological site as the second homeland of the Indo-Europeans, who originally dwelt in Arctic regions and migrated southwards when the weather there became glacial, then spreading from Siberia to the south and the west, eventually developing into other civilisations. According to them, all Vedic knowledge originated in the southern Urals. Some of them identify Arkaim as the Asgard of Odin spoken of in Germanic mythology. The Russian Zoroastrian movement identifies Arkaim as the place where Zoroaster was born. Arkaim is designated as a "national and spiritual shrine" of Russia and has become a holy site for Rodnover, Zoroastrian and other religious movements.

Despite such sensationalism, the site’s tangible mysteries, such as the paucity of burials relative to its estimated 1,500–2,500 inhabitants, underscore its academic value. The broader "Land of Towns," encompassing over twenty similar settlements, reinforces Arkaim’s significance within the Sintashta culture, yet it is the Putin-endorsed narrative that has most profoundly shaped its contemporary identity, intertwining archaeological heritage with a reinvigorated Russian national consciousness. 

References
Shnirelman, Victor A. (1998). "Archaeology and ethnic politics: the discovery of Arkaim". Museum International. 50 (2). UNESCO, Blackwell Publishers: 33–39. doi:10.1111/1468-0033.00146. ISSN 1350-0775.

Shnirelman, Victor A. (2012). "Archaeology and the National Idea in Eurasia". In Charles W. Hartley; G. Bike Yazicioğlu; Adam T. Smith (eds.). The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia: Regimes and Revolutions. Cambridge University Press. pp. 15–36. ISBN 9781107016521.