The Arkaim Site and Popularization of Archaeology in the Southern Urals (On the Issue of Interaction between Science and Mass Consciousness)

Abstract

Issues of popularization of historical knowledge and interaction between science and society are becoming critically important in today’s world. It is in this context that heated discussions are drawn to the destiny of archaeological sites such as Arkaim in the Southern Urals, whose scientific value is obvious on the one hand; but, on the other, raises doubts since those have long become objects not of scientifi c, but of so called “esoteric” tourism. The article attempts to examine the key problems that archaeologists come to face when they have to popularize scientific information for mass media, tourists, and lay readers, as well as the reasons Arkaim has been swept over by a wave of neo-pagan and nationalistic movements.