Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”
This article analyses the architecture of the Early Iron Age royal burial mound Tunnug 1 in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” in Tuva Republic, Russia. This large monument is paramount for the archaeological exploration of the early Scythian period in the Eurasian steppes, but environmental paramet...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-07-01
|
| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/14/3074 |
| _version_ | 1798006133779070976 |
|---|---|
| author | Gino Caspari Timur Sadykov Jegor Blochin Manuel Buess Matthias Nieberle Timo Balz |
| author_facet | Gino Caspari Timur Sadykov Jegor Blochin Manuel Buess Matthias Nieberle Timo Balz |
| author_sort | Gino Caspari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article analyses the architecture of the Early Iron Age royal burial mound Tunnug 1 in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” in Tuva Republic, Russia. This large monument is paramount for the archaeological exploration of the early Scythian period in the Eurasian steppes, but environmental parameters make research on site difficult and require the application of a diversity of methods. We thus integrate WorldView-2 and ALOS-2 remote sensing data, geoelectric resistivity and geomagnetic survey results, photogrammetry-based DEMs, and ortho-photographs, as well as excavation in order to explore different aspects of the funerary architecture of this early nomadic monument. We find that the large royal tomb comprises of a complex internal structure of radial features and chambers, and a rich periphery of funerary and ritual structures. Geomagnetometry proved to be the most effective approach for a detailed evaluation of the funerary architecture in our case. The parallel application of several surveying methods is advisable since dataset comparison is indispensable for providing context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:50:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e48ba06e1d6e498789e8a14ecdce065c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:50:13Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-e48ba06e1d6e498789e8a14ecdce065c2022-12-22T04:23:14ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-07-011914307410.3390/s19143074s19143074Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”Gino Caspari0Timur Sadykov1Jegor Blochin2Manuel Buess3Matthias Nieberle4Timo Balz5Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney, The Quadrangle A14, 2006 Sydney, AustraliaInstitute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya nabereznaya 18, 191186 St. Petersburg, RussiaInstitute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya nabereznaya 18, 191186 St. Petersburg, RussiaCantonal Archaeology Aargau, Industriestrasse 3, 5200 Brugg, SwitzerlandArchaeological Institute, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, GermanyState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Luoyu Road 129, Wuhan 430079, ChinaThis article analyses the architecture of the Early Iron Age royal burial mound Tunnug 1 in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” in Tuva Republic, Russia. This large monument is paramount for the archaeological exploration of the early Scythian period in the Eurasian steppes, but environmental parameters make research on site difficult and require the application of a diversity of methods. We thus integrate WorldView-2 and ALOS-2 remote sensing data, geoelectric resistivity and geomagnetic survey results, photogrammetry-based DEMs, and ortho-photographs, as well as excavation in order to explore different aspects of the funerary architecture of this early nomadic monument. We find that the large royal tomb comprises of a complex internal structure of radial features and chambers, and a rich periphery of funerary and ritual structures. Geomagnetometry proved to be the most effective approach for a detailed evaluation of the funerary architecture in our case. The parallel application of several surveying methods is advisable since dataset comparison is indispensable for providing context.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/14/3074early nomadicScythianfunerary architectureburial moundEarly Iron AgesteppeSiberiaapplied geophysics |
| spellingShingle | Gino Caspari Timur Sadykov Jegor Blochin Manuel Buess Matthias Nieberle Timo Balz Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” Sensors early nomadic Scythian funerary architecture burial mound Early Iron Age steppe Siberia applied geophysics |
| title | Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” |
| title_full | Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” |
| title_fullStr | Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” |
| title_short | Integrating Remote Sensing and Geophysics for Exploring Early Nomadic Funerary Architecture in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” |
| title_sort | integrating remote sensing and geophysics for exploring early nomadic funerary architecture in the siberian valley of the kings |
| topic | early nomadic Scythian funerary architecture burial mound Early Iron Age steppe Siberia applied geophysics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/14/3074 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ginocaspari integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings AT timursadykov integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings AT jegorblochin integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings AT manuelbuess integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings AT matthiasnieberle integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings AT timobalz integratingremotesensingandgeophysicsforexploringearlynomadicfuneraryarchitectureinthesiberianvalleyofthekings |