scholarly journals Geophysical methods in the research of archaeological sites in Western Siberia and Altai: results and perspectives

2009 ◽  
pp. 271-274
Author(s):  
Michail I. Epov ◽  
Marina A. Chemyakina
Keyword(s):  
Western Siberia ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Sites

scholarly journals The Experience of Detailing the Results of Magnetic Surveys of Archaeological Sites by Electrical Exploration Methods

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
E. V. Balkov ◽  
O. A. Pozdnyakova ◽  
P. G. Dyadkov ◽  
Yu. G. Karin ◽  
I. O. Shaparenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
Maximum Information ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Length Width ◽  
Archaeological Objects

Now, the work aimed at extracting maximum information about archaeological objects using geophysical methods is relevant. The possibilities for this give us the integration of various geophysical methods. In 2018–2019, electrical exploration works were carried out at the archaeological site Ust-Tartas mounds (Western Siberia). The sites for these works were selected based on magnetic survey data. The purpose of the research was to obtain additional information on the parameters of archaeological objects and to compare the possibilities of different geophysical methods. Several different magnetic anomalies were chosen for the studies. Methods of electromagnetic frequency sounding, electrotomography and georadiolocation were used. We were able to refine the length, width, depth of objects, and their configuration. The type of objects studied (burial or pit, settlement complex) is defined. The most informative results, which complement the magnetic survey data, are obtained using the electrotomography method.

A LOOK INTO THE EARTH: EVALUATING THE USE OF MAGNETIC SURVEY IN AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Magnavita ◽  
Norbert Schleifer
Keyword(s):  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
The Past ◽  
Common Technique ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Prehistoric Settlements ◽  
Present Case Study

In the last decades, geophysical methods such as magnetic survey have become a common technique for prospecting archaeological sites. At sub-Saharan archaeological sites, however, magnetic survey and correlated techniques never came into broad use and there are no signs for an immediate change of this situation. This paper examines the magnetic survey undertaken on the Nigerian site of Zilum, a settlement of the Gajiganna Culture (ca 1800-400 BC) located in the Chad Basin and dated to ca 600-400 BC. By means of the present case study, we demonstrate the significance of this particular type of investigation in yielding complementary data for understanding the character of prehistoric settlements. In conclusion, we point out that geophysical methods should play a more important role in modern archaeological field research, as they furnish a class of documentation not achievable by traditional survey and excavation methods, thus creating new perspectives for interpreting the past of African societies.

scholarly journals Geology and geophysics at the archeological park of Vulci (central Italy)

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Marchetti ◽  
Vincenzo Sapia ◽  
Adriano Garello ◽  
Donatella De Rita ◽  
Alessandra Venuti
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Resistivity Tomography ◽  
Geological Information ◽  
Geological Map

<p>The Vulci archeological site was object of interest by the Soprintendenza ai beni culturali dell’Etruria meridionale (Italian government department responsible for southern Etruria’s cultural heritage) since the beginning of the 20th century. In 2001, the Ministero dei Beni Culturali (Italian ministry of cultural heritage) along with the local authorities, opened a natural-archeological park. In this area, it lies most of the ancient Etruscan city of Velch (today known by its Latin name, Vulci) including the Osteria Necropolis that is the object of this study. Recently, new archaeological excavations were made and the local authorities needed major geological information about the volcanic lithotypes where the Etruscans used to build their necropolis. The aim of this study is to define the geological and geophysical characteristics of the rock lithotypes present in the Vulci park. For this purpose, a geological map of the area (1:10000) has been realized. Moreover, two different geophysical methods were applied: measurements of magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity tomography. Magnetic susceptibility analyses clearly identify magnetic contrasts between different lithotypes; the characteristics of the pyroclastic flow that originated the Sorano unit 2 and its vertical facies variations are well recorded by this parameter that along with lithostratigraphic observations provides information about the depositional conditions. Two electrical resistivity tomographies were performed, which show the Sorano unit 2 thickness to be of c. 7 m with resistivity values ranging from 200 to 400 Ω·m. This kind of multidisciplinary approach resulted to be suitable to study this type of archaeological sites, revealing that areas characterized by a relevant thickness and wide areal extension of volcanic lithotypes can be a potential site where Etruscans might have excavated their necropolis.</p>

Cultural and Technological Characteristics of Russian Forged Iron Tools from the Selkup Cemetery Migalka in the Middle Ob Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 90-98
Author(s):  
L. A. Chindina ◽  
N. M. Zinyakov
Keyword(s):  
Western Siberia ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Ferrous Metal ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Metallographic Analysis ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Russian Market ◽  
Technological Characteristics ◽  
Iron Artifacts ◽  
Colonization Period

This study addresses Russian iron artifacts from the Narym Selkup cemetery Migalka, dating to the late 1600s to early 1700s. Two most important categories of tools are described—knives and axes. In terms of morphology, knives fall into two groups: straight-backed and those with convex (“humped”) backs. The combination of a “humpbacked” blade, typical of native manufacture, and Russian hilt plates precludes an unambiguous ethnic attribution. Special attention is paid to knives with fi ligree-enamel hilt plates as markers of high socio-economic status. The garniture evidences northern Russian origin. The metallographic analysis of knives (22% of the sample) revealed two technological groups: made of solid steel and welded. Axes, made by Russian artisans, are of the shaft-hole type and fall into four types. The analysis, relating to 42% of the sample, indicates two techniques: welding of a steel blade onto an iron base or a piece of raw steel, and using irregularly carbonized metal for forging the entire axe. Ferrous metal items follow the Russian technological traditions. Three key factors accounted for the spread of Russian artifacts among the natives: “Tsar’s gift” for paying the yasak (tribute); colonization of Siberia followed by the emergence of trade manufacture; and the involvement of natives, specifi cally the Narym Selkups, in the all-Russian market. Our fi ndings attest to the relevance of iron artifacts from archaeological sites to the historical and cultural studies of the colonization period in western Siberia.

scholarly journals Bracelet from an Elunino burial at the Teleut Vzvoz-I site

2020 ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
I.A. Valkov
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Trace Analysis ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Burial Ground ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Bronze Age

The article studies a stone bead bracelet found in an Early Bronze Age burial of the Elunino archaeological culture during the excavation of the Teleut Vzvoz-I burial ground (heterogeneous in time) in the south of Western Siberia (Forest-Steppe Altai). According to a series of calibrated radiocarbon dates, the Elunino burial ground at the Teleut Vzvoz-I site was used in the 22nd–18th centuries BC. The artefact under study was found in double burial No. 16 of the indicated burial ground, on the wrist of an adult (gender is not established). The bracelet in-cludes 66 stone beads, as well as one stone base. This piece of jewellery is unique in terms of technique, as well as the sacral meaning embedded in it. The ornament found on the beads bears no analogies to those discovered in the well-known Bronze Age archaeological sites of Western and Eastern Siberia. The present publication con-siders the morphological and raw material characteristics of the bracelet, as well as the specifics of its production and use. In this study, trace analysis was performed, i.e. the analysis of macro- and micro-traces left on the sur-face of the item as a result of its production and subsequent use. All traces were examined using an MBS-10 stereoscopic microscope at a magnification of ×16–56. It was found that some of the beads in the bracelet were made of serpentinite. The nearest sources of this stone are at least 250–300 km away from Teleut Vzvoz-I. The beads are made by counter-drilling, drilling of blind holes, polishing and grinding. This find is unique due to orna-mental compositions found on several beads in the form of oblique notches on side faces. The extremely small size of the beads (average diameter of 3.3 mm; average thickness of 1.4 mm) makes the pattern invisible to the naked eye. Thus, it is concluded that the ornament had a sacred meaning, and the bracelet itself served as an amulet. Despite no finds of ornamented bracelets dating back to the Bronze Age in Western Siberia and adjacent territories, typologically the bracelet bears analogies to the antiquities of the Okunevo culture, the Yamna cultural and historical community, as well as in the materials of the Bronze Age archaeological site of Gonur Depe (Turk-menistan). The study of the bracelet demonstrates the relevance of performing trace analysis of such items from other archaeological sites.

scholarly journals Archaeological geophysics in Israel: past, present and future

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 45-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. V. Eppelbaum
Keyword(s):  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Past ◽  
Geophysical Investigations ◽  
Limited Application ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Archaeological Objects

Abstract. In Israel occur a giant number of archaeological objects of various age, origin and size. Different kinds of noise complicate geophysical methods employment at archaeological sites. Geodynamical active, multi-layered, and geologically variable surrounding media in many cases damages ancient objects and disturbs their physical properties. This calls to application of different geophysical methods armed by the modern interpretation technology. The main attention is focused on the geophysical methods most frequently applying in Israeli archaeological sites: GPR and high-precise magnetic survey. Other methods (paleomagnetic, resistivity, near-surface seismics, piezoelectric, etc.) are briefly described and reviewed. The number of employed geophysical methodologies is constantly increasing, and now Israeli territory may be considered as a peculiar polygon for various geophysical methods testing. Several examples illustrate effective application of geophysical methods over some typical archaeological remains. The geophysical investigations at archaeological sites in Israel could be tentatively divided on three stages: (1) past (1990), (2) present (1990–2009), and (3) future (2010). The past stage with several archaeoseismic reviews and very limited application of geophysical methods was replaced by the present stage with the violent employment of numerous geophysical techniques. It is supposed that the future stage will be characterized by extensive development of multidiscipline physical-archaeological databases, employment of all possible indicators for 4-D monitoring and ancient sites reconstruction, as well as application of combined geophysical multilevel surveys using remote operated vehicles at low altitudes.

Archaeological site surveying program at the University of Nebraska

Geophysics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Weymouth
Keyword(s):  
Data Processing ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
Difference Mode

A summary of geophysical applications peculiar to archaeology and magnetic surveying techniques applied by the University of Nebraska to archaeological sites is presented. In contrast to geophysical targets, the size and depth of the features of interest on archaeological sites are from several centimeters to a few meters. Typical features are historic foundations, wells, privies or prehistoric earthen features such as earth house floors, storage pits, or fire hearths. The most commonly used geophysical methods are resistivity, radar, and magnetometry. The program at the University of Nebraska has concentrated on magnetic surveying field methods based on the use of two magnetometers in the difference mode to correct for temporal variations. Data processing used both microcomputers and mainframe computers. Microcomputers are used in the field and near sites to log data and to do preliminary mapping. Mainframe computers are used for further processing and filtering and for producing a variety of graphical representations of the data for an archaeological audience. Case histories presented are from site surveys in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska.

scholarly journals Chronology of a Medieval complex from the Papskoye settlement (forest-steppe of Western Siberia)

2020 ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
N.P. Matveeva ◽  
E.A. Tret'iakov ◽  
A.S. Zelenkov
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Middle Ages ◽  
The Right

A large number of imported items found in the occupation layers of archaeological sites in the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia suggest that, in the Middle Ages, these regions were on the periphery of trade routes and were involved in global historical events. In this connection, the dating of material culture provides details about trade and economic, as well as social and political, aspects of the life of communities of the past. One of the new archaeological sites allowing the dynamics of material culture to be traced is a multi-layered Papskoye settlement. This site constitutes a fortification having two areas and powerful defensive lines, located on top of the right-bank terrace of the Iset River. In this study, structures attributed to different chronological periods were analysed and artefacts were collected (7th century BC — 14th century AD). Nevertheless, collections of items dating back to the High Middle Ages (late 9th — early 14th centuries) are the most representative as they most objectively reflect the historical and cultural processes that took place in this region. Most of the finds of arrowheads, elements of cloth-ing and horse harnesses, as well as household items, in the Papskoye settlement belong to this time. In this study, we used a comparative-typological method followed by the identification of the types of things. In order to establish the most accurate chronological framework, as well as to determine the primary centres for the production of certain items, we applied the method of analogy using a wide range of material culture from the neighbouring territories, which include Altai, Mongolia, Volga region, Kama area, the Caucasus, the north of Western Siberia, etc. In this study, we identified two chronological phases within the High Middle Ages using the materials of the Papskoye fortified settlement: 1) late 9th — 12th centuries; 2) late 12th — early 14th centuries. They correspond to the period when the carriers of the Yudino and Chiyalik cultures inhabited this site. In addition, a large number of direct analogies with the neighbouring territories suggests that the territory of the forest-steppe Trans-Urals was located on the periphery of trade routes through which imports came from Southern Siberia, Volga Bulgaria and the Upper Kama area.

scholarly journals Archaeological Map of the Siberian Khanate: Dating and Interpretation Issues

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-209
Author(s):  
Sergey F. Tataurov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Western Siberia ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
State Structure ◽  
Border Line ◽  
Dendrochronological Analysis ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Burial Grounds

Research objectives: Turkic-Tatar state formations have left significant tra­ces in the history of Western Siberia in the last 500 years. Due to their small number, the surviving written sources do not fully explain their state structure, borders, levels of production and development, etc. The way out of this situation may be the use of research materials from archaeological sites dated to the relevant time. Research materials: Many years of excavations of settlements, burial grounds, cities, and cult sites have provided significant material for the scholarly community, but up to the present there is a problem with their dating, and with correlation to specific khanates. To solve the question of dating of archaeological complexes of this time, it is proposed to use the method of dendrochronological analysis on the same scale, regarding materials, as that seen in the study of Tara – one of the first Russian cities in Siberia. Another way to determine the materials related to the Siberian Khanate is a study of the complexes of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which belonged to Siberian Tatars. After the annexation of Siberia to the Russian state, the local population preserved its traditional culture for a long time, elements of which were formed during the period of existence in Turkic-Tatar state formations. Results and novelty of the research: This article offer approaches that allow one to single out several blocks of information – on fortifications, dwellings, ways of communication, weapons – which could become certain chronological repeaters for the Siberian Khanate. The conducted research allows us to both draw connections between several fortified complexes in Tara’s Cis-Irtysh region and to show the presence of a border line, consisting of several towns on the borders of the Siberian Khanate. Such an approach will allow us to identify and explore similar lines in other territories of this state formation.

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