The author, a well-known professor of archeology from St. Petersburg, talks about his confrontation with the Soviet judicial system and his “journey” to prison and camp in the early 1980s. But by revealing violations of civil rights, the author acts not just as a victim of a totalitarian repressive machine. He approached the topic like a scientist on a difficult scientific expedition, ready to explore an inaccessible environment. In the criminal world, he found many analogies with primitive society and became interested in the reasons for such similarities. This led him to interesting thoughts about human nature, the evils of the penal system and the nature of our modern society. The book caused a discussion in science, with the opinions of prominent scientists appended to the text. The book is certainly of interest not only to sociologists, anthropologists and ethnographers, but also to everyone who is faced with the problem of crime and punishment. (2nd edition, corrected and expanded).