The landscape indication of archaeological sites in the valleys of the rivers Mugur and Kargy (Southwestern Tuva)

Abstract

The article examines the placement of archaeological sites located along the valleys of the Mugur and Kargy rivers (South-Western Tuva). For this purpose, a landscape map of the study area was compiled at a scale of 1:50000 based on the authors’ own field research, DEM, high-resolution satellite images and various thematic maps. 33 landscape taxa were identified on the landscape map. The study area contains high-mountain, mid-mountain and mountain-valley landscapes. The coordinates of 629 archaeological sites were also determined during expeditionary research using a GPS navigator. Most of the archaeological sites presumably date back to the Scythian and Turkic times, but there are also monuments from other historical periods. A diagram of the location of archaeological sites along the valleys of the Mugur River and the Kargy River was compiled on the basis of these data. The monuments are located in the altitude range from 1847 m to 2565 m. An analysis of the distribution of archaeological sites across landscapes was carried out based on the data obtained. More than half of them are located on ancient river terraces of the river. Murgur and R. Kargy and on the gentle slopes of the alluvial fan, southern exposure with dry steppes. The location of monuments in dry-steppe landscapes was associated with the economic activities of the population, the main industry of which was semi-nomadic, nomadic cattle breeding. An analysis of the visibility of the snow-covered slopes of the Mongun-Taiga massif from archaeological sites was also carried out. Most of the locations where the monuments are located (84%) offer views of the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Mongun-Taigi massif. Where the peaks are not visible or poorly visible, only 16% of the monuments were recorded.

Keywords:

Landscapes, landscape map, archaeological sites, geographic information systems, Digital Elevation Model, Mugur River, Kargy River, South-Western Tuva