Deciphering Circular Anthropogenic Anomalies in PALSAR Data—Using L-Band SAR for Analyzing Archaeological Features on the Steppe

Abstract

Synthetic aperture radar has been employed for archaeological purposes for nearly forty years: nonetheless, its application among archaeological practitioners has remained limited. We analyzed circular anthropogenic anomalies in a steppe environment in PALSAR-2 data, which appeared as a homogeneous group of signatures. Each anomaly was examined using additional SAR and optical data, as well as investigated through extensive ground truth and, in one case, excavation. We found the anomalies to originate from a wide range of processes and structural characteristics showing the non-intuitive complexity of SAR data interpretation. We found that this is likely the reason for the limited application SAR has seen within the archaeological community. In order to improve the usage of SAR for archaeological purposes beyond change detection and digital elevation models, specific products that are more readily understandable and superior to optical data in a narrow frame of application should be developed.

Comparing Analysis of Pretreatment Methods of Wood and Bone Materials for the Chronology of Peripheral Burials at Tunnug 1, Tuva Republic, Russia

“…The 14 C dates from larch wood recovered from the test excavations indicated a date for the construction of the burial mound in the 9th century BCE, this was later confirmed through additional 14 C dates in combination with dendrochronology (wiggle matching) (Caspari et al 2020a). Despite a large number of monumental burial mounds in the Uyuk Valley dating to the Early Iron Age (Caspari 2020;Caspari et al 2020b), few are chronologically situated in the Late Bronze Age Early Iron Age transition and are relevant to understanding the economic and cultural shifts happening in the first part of the first millennium BCE (Sadykov et al 2020).…”

The polymorphism and tradition of funerary practices of medieval Turks in light of new findings from Tuva Republic

“…It revealed that Tunnug 1 was used for funerary ritual purposes over a period of more than two millennia [ 61 ]. Although no other large Early Iron Age monuments could be detected in the flood plain of Uyuk River [ 62 ], geophysical analysis of the periphery of the main burial mound including geoelectric, geomagnetic, and ground penetrating radar surveys showed a plethora of smaller stone monuments to its south that were not visible on the surface [ 58 ]. The dominating archaeological feature of the southern periphery is an amorphous accumulation of burial features associated with the Kokel culture [ 59 ].…”