OSL dates for the ancient geometric earthworks of Kazakhstan

Matuzevičiūtė, Giedrė Motuzaitė; Logvin, Andrey; Shevnina, Irina; Seitov, A.M.; Feng, Jiahui; Li, Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.ara.2015.12.001

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…So far, around 60 of these earthwork features have been identified, ranging from 90 to 400 m in length. Absolute dates (obtained via Optically Stimulated Luminescence) indicate their construction took place around 800 bc , during the Early Iron Age of the Kazakh Steppe (Motuzaite Matuzeviciute et al 2016). However, several thousand geometric geoglyphs have been identified on the north coast of Chile alone (Briones 2006, 13), far exceeding the total known for the entire Old World.…”

Section: The Historical Specificity Of the Geoglyphmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geoglyph as a Medium for Anarchist Ritual

Wilkinson

2020

CAJ

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Geoglyphs are widely seen as an expression of past sacred landscapes. In this article, I offer a new theoretical approach to geoglyphs, interpreting them as a distinctly anarchic and decentralized medium for ritual activity. When we define geoglyphs as large-scale images, and exclude other phenomena such as earthworks, it is clear that their occurrence is actually quite limited in space and time. Almost all known examples of geoglyphs are located in the Americas, and they are particularly associated with ‘middle-range’ societies, rather than states or empires. Geoglyphs produced by hunter-gatherer communities are also comparatively rare. I regard this pattern as a direct consequence of the anarchist affordances of the geoglyph medium. In agricultural societies where regional integration and incipient centralization were taking place (e.g. the ancient Nasca), geoglyphs provided a decentralizing counterbalance. I therefore theorize the incorporation of geoglyph-based ritual practices as a historically situated process of constitutional reform, whereby ancient peoples consciously sought to redistribute power and authority.

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Section: The Historical Specificity Of the Geoglyphmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geoglyph as a Medium for Anarchist Ritual

Wilkinson

2020

CAJ

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“…The use of satellite imagery and aerial photography in archaeology was not limited to the Southwest Asia. Similar methods were applied elsewhere on entirely different research themes: Such as the case of Tripolye mega-sites of the 4 th Millennium BC in the northwestern Pontic Region [ 24 , 25 ], Bronze Age geoglyphs in Kazakhstan [ 26 , 27 ], or the Polynesian geoglyphs in New Zealand and the Pacific which are dated before the European colonization of the islands [ 28 ]. Currently, there is a growing body of literature on the use of satellite data for site detection [ 29 – 32 ], or on obtaining data on past land-use [ 33 ], cultural heritage management [ 34 – 39 ], and more recently on ancient mining and metallurgy [ 40 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A remote sensing-based survey of archaeological/heritage sites near Kandahar, Afghanistan through publicly available satellite imagery

Karaucak

Steiniger²,

Boroffka³

2021

PLoS ONE

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Due to its conflict-ridden recent history, it has been difficult to launch major archaeological projects and advanced field research in Afghanistan during the last forty years. Lately, the proliferation of remote sensing methods, especially the increasing availability of satellite imagery, has allowed generating a much-needed impetus for documentation and monitoring of the heritage in Afghanistan. In this study, we present novel site data obtained through an examination of publicly available satellite imagery in the southwestern region of Kandahar. The sites presented here consist of a multitude of cultural heritage such as settlement mounds, architectural remains, religious monuments, fortresses, and traditional water management systems. We also discuss the advantages, as well as the drawbacks of remote sensing surveys for archaeological research in Afghanistan, and share our data to be employed in further research and cultural heritage management in the region.

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