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Chronological Studies of the Arzhan-2 Scythian Monument in Tuva (Russia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

G I Zaitseva ,
K V Chugunov ,
V A Dergachev ,
A Nagler ,
G Parzinger ,
E M Scott ,
A A Sementsov ,
S Vasiliev ,
B van Geel  and
J van der Plicht
...Show all authors
G I Zaitseva*
Affiliation:
The Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
K V Chugunov
Affiliation:
The State Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg, Russia.
V A Dergachev
Affiliation:
A.F.Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
A Nagler
Affiliation:
German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany.
G Parzinger
Affiliation:
German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany.
E M Scott
Affiliation:
Glasgow University, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
A A Sementsov
Affiliation:
The Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
S Vasiliev
Affiliation:
A.F.Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
B van Geel
Affiliation:
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
J van der Plicht
Affiliation:
Centre for Isotope Research, Groningen University, the Netherlands.
L M Lebedeva
Affiliation:
The Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
*
Corresponding author. Email: ganna@mail.wplus.net
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Abstract

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The first radiocarbon dates from the unique early Scythian monument Arzhan-2, discovered in 2001, are presented. The monument contained a royal burial (grave nr 5). Unfortunately, precise dating is hampered by the Hallstatt plateau in the calibration curve. However, using both accelerator mass spectrometry measurements from buried materials and conventional dates for floating tree rings from the burial chamber, we were able to date the construction of the monument to the 7th century BC. This is consistent with archaeological expectations. Other graves located inside the barrow were also dated. Grave nr 11, located on the edge of the barrow, is younger, showing that the monument was a place of burial ritual for many years for this ancient population.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 46 , Issue 1: Proceedings of the 18th International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 1 of 2), Conference Editors: Nancy Beavan Athfield, Rodger J Sparks , 2004 , pp. 277 - 284
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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