An additional acceptance of applications for participation in the third and fourth shifts of the second field season of the International Complex Archaeological and Geographical Expedition to Study the Tunnug Kurgan in the Republic of Tyva starts. Shifts will be held from July 3 to July 31 and from August 3 to August 31, 2019. Young men and women, aged 18 to 35 years (inclusive), can become a part of the expedition team.
The Tunnug Kurgan is located in the floodplain of the Tunnug and Uyuk rivers, near the Chkalovka settlement in the Piy-Khemsky district of the Republic of Tyva. It is part of the so-called Valley of the Kings, where are many "royal" kurgans of the Scythian time. According to preliminary data, the burial of the Tunnug Kurgan is the largest and the earliest Scythian monument - about the 9th century BC. Presumably, the kurgan stands on the permafrost, so there is a chance to find preserved organic matter under its stone embankment. In other words, members of the expedition have the opportunity to witness the most interesting archaeological discoveries.
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In addition to the excavations, a busy cultural program was prepared for the volunteer team: lectures by archaeologists from the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences who arrived simultaneously with volunteers, sports events, themed days, and visits to museums and sights of Tuva and neighboring regions.
To participate you have to fill out a form.
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We pay special attention to the fact that, due to difficult weather conditions, priority is given to young people in good physical shape: compliance with health group 1-2, the presence of sports categories, and compliance with the GTO (ГТО) standards are an advantage.
IMPORTANT: encephalitic vaccination that must be done well in advance is compulsory required! (immunity should arise before the arrival of a volunteer to the expedition place).
More information in the Competition Regulations.
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Let us recall that the first field season of the RGS expedition to study the Tunnug Kurgan took place in 2018. The expedition was attended by 45 employees of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences and 90 volunteers of the Society from Russia, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Latvia, India, Ecuador and other countries of the world. During the archaeological work on the periphery of the kurgan, an arrowhead and ceramics fragments, a Chinese coin and a burial belonging to the early Middle Ages were discovered.
The first shift of the second field season of the expedition took place in May 2019. The second one has started in June. Experts conducted geomagnetic and GPR researches of the kurgan and found out where the stone ring is located around the kurgan. It is not visible from the ground due to the abundance of turf. In addition, the archeology of the periphery of the kurgan has fully cleared up. Items belonging to the medieval time (approximately from the 7th to the 9th century AD) were found: buckles, iron arrowheads, bone onlays on the bow, onlays on the belt and others. All things are from warrior burials. The study of the burial continues. It dates from the beginning of our era and relates to the Kokel archaeological culture. Near the remains of a man were found several fragments of a sheep's spine, a knife, a ceramic vessel and an iron buckle on a belt.
The technical support of the work is organized by the Expeditionary Center of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.
The project is implemented with the benefit of the grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society provided by the Presidential Grants Foundation.