Stone guests
from the past
In the University Grove next to the main building of TSU, ancient Turkic stone sculptures, brought from Semirechye and Altai at the end of the 19th century, have been standing for more than 120 years. Similar statues were erected in the expanses of Eurasia in the 6th-9th centuries. during the time of the Turkic Khaganates. These sculptures were dedicated to warrior heroes and noble people of their time.
However, many residents and guests of Tomsk do not know that the statues are archaeological works of art, which are over a thousand years old. This ignorance often leads to acts of vandalism - various drawings are applied to the statues, etc. A constructive change in the real situation was seen in the installation of an information plate, as well as the return to the grove of the brightest stone statue, which was broken in half in 1986 and had lain in the closed funds of the museum for about 30 years.
The Stone Guests from the Past project was carried out as part of the Third TSU Grant Competition and was aimed at creating a favorable campus environment for students and staff. For the sake of preserving the archaeological heritage, not only in the real, but also in the virtual world, the specialists of our laboratory created 3D models Turkic sculptures, which now everyone can get acquainted with.
