Kurgan Tunnug 1—New Data on the Earliest Horizon of Scythian Material Culture

Abstract

Questions surrounding the emergence of highly mobile nomadic pastoralism and the origins of the associated Scythian material culture have a long history in Eurasian steppe archaeology, but advances in knowledge have been hindered by a lack of data. Here we present new findings on the Early Iron Age royal burial mound Tunnug 1 in Tuva. While the site belongs to the same cultural tradition as Arzhan 1, the conceptual roots of the funerary ritual architecture can be traced to precursors in the Mongun Taiga culture and the Mongolian deer stone khirigsuur complex. The clay architecture uncovered at Tunnug 1 does not find any regional comparisons and possibly hints towards a western Central Asian contribution to the formation of the earliest Scythian horizon. Our research demonstrates the value of a multidisciplinary approach to documenting monumental earthen architecture, including technical approaches (satellite imagery, aerial photographs, 3D models, digital elevation models, geophysics, and radiocarbon dating) with an analysis of construction material and associated finds.

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

“…To the south of the archaeological features associated with the Kokel culture, a number of medieval structures were found. In accordance with the requirements of Russian archaeological authorities, each individual “object”—a discrete structure—receives its own stratigraphic profile and a plan of each contained archaeological layer [ 64 ]. Most of the medieval structures are located in clusters comprising a central structure 6, 7, 15, 36, 45, 29, around which smaller structures are aggregated ( Table 1 ).…”

Dining in Tuva: Social correlates of diet and mobility in Southern Siberia during the 2nd–4th centuries CE

“…The construction of these monuments coincides with and is evidence for the development of steeply hierarchical societies and elites in a marginal environment. Investigations of monumental burial mounds have yielded insights into the dynamics associated with the so-called Scythian material culture and the transfer of new ideas across large stretches of Inner Asia (Caspari et al, 2018(Caspari et al, , 2019Gryaznov, 1980;Parzinger, 2006: 606ff;Sadykov et al, 2020).…”

“…The construction of these monuments coincides with and is evidence for the development of steeply hierarchical societies and elites in a marginal environment. Investigations of monumental burial mounds have yielded insights into the dynamics associated with the so‐called Scythian material culture and the transfer of new ideas across large stretches of Inner Asia (Caspari et al, 2018, 2019; Gryaznov, 1980; Parzinger, 2006: 606ff; Sadykov et al, 2020). With the expansion of the first steppe Empire in the 2nd c. BCE, Tuva sees an amalgamation of cultural characteristics and stylistic elements of Xiongnu material culture with indigenous elements, showing long‐distance connectivity of networks and a degree of integration into the social system of the empire including specific burial traditions and prestige goods (Kilunovskaya & Leus, 2018, 2020a, 2020b; Leus, 2011; Leus & Bel'skiy, 2016; Miller, 2011).…”