Svetlana Alexandrovna Pletneva (also spelled Pletnyeva and Pletnyova ) (April 1, 1926 in Vyatka- 20 November 2008 in Moscow) was a Russian and Soviet archaeologist and historian. Like Lev Gumilev, she was a student of Mikhail Artamonov, although she discarded many of the former's theories as mere speculations. She won the USSR State Prize in 1986. Pletneva is the author of numerous books on Eurasian nomads, particularly the Khazars. Honours and awards State Prize of the USSR Order of the Badge of Honour Medal "For Labour Valour" Medal "For Distinguished Labour" External links Pletneva's page on the Institute for Archeology website 1926 births 2008 deaths Khazar studies 20th-century Russian historians Soviet historians Soviet women historians Russian archaeologists Russian women archaeologists Moscow State University alumni 20th-century Russian women writers Soviet archaeologists Rossiyskaya arkheologiya editors