Kurgans of the Sargat culture in the Middle Irtysh river basin: new approaches in estimation of social landscape

The article deals with results of airborne laser scanning, which was undertaken with drone above selected locations of kurgans of the Sargat culture in the middle Irtysh river basin (Omsk region) and its correlation with total station data of terrain survey. The selected scanning area covers imposing “Princely kurgans” situated on a plowed field and small mounds inside birch forest. The scanning results were processed with various filters for further creation of a digital terrain model (DTM), and then based on DTM, a topographical relief of the area under study was presented with a step of 1.0 m and of 0.1-0.2 m for sites of kurgan groups’ locations. Structures visible on DTM are coincided in quantity, size and relative position with previously recorded kurgan mounds. Besides already known archaeological objects DTM allows identifying structures similar to small kurgans mapped during terrain prospection, but requires further clarification in a course of electromagnetic survey or excavation. Combination of field and cartographic approaches provides estimation of topography particularities and hierarchy of kurgans various in size and remoteness. Small kurgans are mapped at lower hypsometric levels and distinctly close to the origins of the ravines. “Princely kurgans” were accommodated to dominant heights of foremost river terrace what was decisive in landscape exploitation, i.e. new territory markers were erected and thus transformation of landscape into social sense occurred. The particularity of the graveyard functioning was reconstructed based on data recorded during excavation of various kurgans in different sides of the area under study.