Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) – an early Scythian kurgan in Tuva Republic, Russia

Caspari, Gino; Sadykov, Timur; Blochin, Jegor; Hajdas, Irka

doi:10.1016/j.ara.2017.11.001

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…For decades, Arzhan 1 remained one of the few reference points for the origins of the Scythians. It was not until 2018 that radiocarbon dates and 3D models from the site of Tunnug 1 suggested that a similar burial mound dating to the earliest Scythian horizon was located in the wetlands of the Uyuk Valley (Caspari et al 2018). In this article, we present new data relevant to the discussion of the origins of Scythian material culture derived from surveys and excavations conducted in 2018 and 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…A survey carried out by the authors in 2017 made it possible to clarify the kurgan's location and obtain preliminary radiocarbon dates (Caspari et al 2018), which situated the site within the chronological context of Arzhan 1. Between the excavations at Arzhan 1 and Tunnug 1, only one other sizeable mound dated to the Arzhan period was studied-Arzhan 5, which also seems to belong to the Arzhan period, as corroborated by radiocarbon dates in the 9th-8th century B.C.…”

Section: The Early Iron Age In Tuva and The Tunnug 1 Projectmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Sadykov

Caspari

Blochin

2020

Journal of Field Archaeology

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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.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: The Early Iron Age In Tuva and The Tunnug 1 Projectmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Sadykov

Caspari

Blochin

2020

Journal of Field Archaeology

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“…Whereas the large burial mound, Tunnug 1, with a diameter of around 140 m [16], shows very clearly in the PALSAR data, the burial mound, Arzhan 4, which also has to be counted among the most massive archaeological features of the Uyuk Valley, only produces a very faint signature. Conversely, the smaller burial mound, Arzhan 5, which has only half the diameter of the other two, shows up extremely bright and large.…”

Section: True Positives (Archaeological Sites)mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Size and brightness comparison of three royal Early Iron Age burial mounds in PALSAR data. Left: Tunnug 1 with a site diameter of around 140 m. Middle: Arzhan 5 with a diameter of 55 m. Right: Arzhan 4 with a diameter of >100 m. All diameter measurements adapted from[16].…”

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confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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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.

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“…Arzhan 2, dating to the 7th century BCE [2], showed that the Uyuk Valley in Tuva Republic remained an important place for burials of the social elite during much of the first millennium BCE. In 2017, a Russian Swiss expedition surveyed and dated the large burial mound Tunnug 1 to the 9th century BCE, finding another monument dating to the time of the Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age transition in the eastern Eurasian steppes [6,7]. Research is currently on-going on three royal burial mounds in the Uyuk Valley, namely Chinge-tei 1 [8], Arzhan 5 [9], and Tunnug 1 [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping and Damage Assessment of “Royal” Burial Mounds in the Siberian Valley of the Kings

Caspari

2020

Remote Sensing

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The Valley of the Kings in Tuva Republic, southern Siberia, is arguably one of the most important archaeological landscapes in the eastern Eurasian steppes. Nonetheless, little information exists about the spatial characteristics and preservation conditions of this burial ground consisting of large "royal" mounds. We map the large monuments of the Uyuk Valley's northern river terrace and assess their state of preservation based on high-resolution optical satellite data. The burial site consists of several hundred mounds, over 150 of them with diameters of more than 25 m, the largest monuments are bigger than 100 m in diameter. This makes the Valley of the Kings in Tuva Republic one of the largest Early Iron Age burial sites in the Eurasian steppes. Unfortunately, around 92% of the large monuments are in bad condition, mostly due to looting.

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Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) – an early Scythian kurgan in Tuva Republic, Russia

Cited by 22 publications

References 7 publications

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

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

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

Mapping and Damage Assessment of “Royal” Burial Mounds in the Siberian Valley of the Kings

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