Saving the frozen Scythian tombs of the Altai Mountains (Central Asia)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4889813 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jean Bourgeois (0000-0002-5390-7103), Alain De Wulf (0000-0001-6601-1691, Ghent University), Rudi Goossens (Ghent University), Wouter Gheyle (0000-0002-4572-7903, Ghent University) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 458-474 |
| Publication date | 2007-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00438240701504585 |
| OpenAlex | W2042810014 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 7 |
The frozen tombs of the Scythian civilization, preserved for over 2000 years in the permafrost of the Russian, Mongolian, Chinese and Kazakh Altai Mountains, are a major archaeological find dating back to the 1920s. Inside the tombs lie bodies which have often been so well preserved in the frozen ground that even the tattoos on their skin remain intact. Grave robbers and fortune hunters have been the tombs' traditional enemies but, today, a new threat hangs over them. Climatic change is causing the permafrost in this part of Siberia to thaw. With the permafrost that preserves the kurgans now gradually thawing, the remaining frozen tombs and the insights they provide into the ancient nomad Scythian culture could be lost for ever, after 2000 years of perfect conservation. The University of Ghent (Belgium) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, together with local institutions in Russia and Kazakhstan, have started a project to preserve the remaining frozen tombs. Besides making an inventory of the archaeological heritage in several research areas in Russia and Kazakhstan, they are looking for ways to detect the tombs that are frozen, and are searching for technical solutions to preserve the frozen tombs in situ
Ancient history · Archaeology · Central asia · Geography · Kazakh · Permafrost · Tourism · World heritage · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Geology · History
Mongolia’s Frozen Heritage
Kurgans in the Northeastern Azov Sea Region. Proposals for a Geo-archaeological Research Program
Geometric stone settings in the Yustyd Valley and its surroundings (Altai Mountains, Russia)
Landscape archaeology in the Chinese Altai Mountains – Survey of the Heiliutan Basin
Results of repeated study of the frozen tomb of the Fifth Pazyryk Barrow in the Altai Mountains (Russia)
Excavation and Conservation Recommendations in Handling Human Skeletal Remains
Weapons and Equipment of a Horse from the Necropolis of Karakabа
Climate-driven losses to knowledge systems and cultural heritage
A systematic overview of the barriers to building climate adaptation of cultural and natural heritage sites in polar regions
The Snow Leopard and Cultural Landscape in Contemporary Kazakhstan
The Impact of Climate Change on an Archaeological Site in the Arctic
Tunnug 1 (Arzhan 0) – an early Scythian kurgan in Tuva Republic, Russia
An Archaeological Landscape in the Dzhazator Valley (Altai Mountains)
Three-dimensional recording of archaeological remains in the Altai Mountains
High-resolution near-infrared data reveal Pazyryk tattooing methods
Practising archaeology at a time of climatic catastrophe
| Unique citing works | 16 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,89 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2025 (18) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |