Reply to S Riehl and K Pustovoytov (Journal of Archaeological Science 33 (2006) 143-144)

We appreciate the interest of Simone Riehl and Konstantin Pustovoytov (hereafter R&P) in our publication and here we answer their critical remarks and questions. R&P criticise two aspects: (1) our interpretation of the pollen record from Kutuzhekovo Lake and (2) the information we derived from the St. Petersburg radiocarbon database. We discuss the questions and we show that these do not really affect our earlier conclusions.

Chronological studies of the Arzhan-2 Scythian monument in Tuva (Russia)

The first radiocarbon dates from the unique early Scythian monument Arzhan-2, discovered in 2001, are presented. The monument contained a royal burial (grave nr 5). Unfortunately, precise dating is hampered by the Hallstatt plateau in the calibration curve. However, using both accelerator mass spectrometry measurements from buried materials and conventional dates for floating tree rings from the burial chamber, we were able to date the construction of the monument to the 7th century BC. This is consistent with archaeological expectations. Other graves located inside the barrow were also dated. Grave nr 11, located on the edge of the barrow, is younger, showing that the monument was a place of burial ritual for many years for this ancient population.

Chronology and possible links between climatic and cultural change during the first millennium BC in southern Siberia and Central Asia

We reconstructed climate change during the second half of the Holocene for the Minusinsk (southern Siberia) and the Uyuk (Central Asia) valleys in the Eurasian steppe zone. Sediment cores from 2 lakes and a soil profile from the Arzhan-2 burial mount were investigated. We combined pollen and geochemical analyses and radiocarbon dating with the archaeological record. A sharp increase of human population density occurred at the transition from the Bronze Age to Iron Age (about 2700 cal BP). The most representative Scythian culture started in the Uyuk and the Minusinsk valleys after increased humidity and occupation capacity of the steppe zone during the 9th century BC

Chronology of key belonging to different stages of the Scythian period in Tuva (Arzhan-1 and Arzhan-2 barrows)

This paper focuses on the chronological study of 2 Scythian period monuments that are the key to the chronology of the entire Eurasian Scythian culture. These are the unique monuments of Arzhan-1 and Arzhan-2 in Central Asia (Tuva Republic). The dating of both these monuments began immediately after their discovery, but discussion about their chronological position is still current. Both monuments contained considerable wooden material from their construction suitable for dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. The first results for the Arzhan-1 barrow were obtained by wiggle-matching in 2004–2005, while the Arzhan-2 barrow was first dated in 2003. It is now possible to compare the chronological position of these barrows using the same methods. As postulated earlier, Arzhan-1 is the oldest Scythian period monument and is dated to the boundary of the 8–9th centuries BC. The position of the Arzhan-2 monument stretches to the middle of the 7th century BC. δ13C values for annual tree rings in logs from both barrows were also determined to gain a better understanding of the climatic conditions at the time of barrow construction.

Chronological study of archaeological sites and environmental change around 2600 BP in the Eurasian steppe belt (Uyuk valley, Tuva Republic)

The main attention of the article presented focuses on the connection between the development of archaeological cultures and environmental changes during the 9th-4th centuries BC (2700-2400 BP). Environmental changes around 2600 BP can be observed by the character of the radiocarbon calibration curve. The region under study is the Uyuk depression in the Tuva Republic which is the part of the Eurasian steppe belt. To reconstruct environmental changes pollen and geochemical analyses of the lake deposits from the Uyuk depression were used. The main feature that made this territory more attractive for settling, is the humidity that promoted nomadic economy. The chronology of the archaeological sites corresponds to a period with a complicated shape of the calibration curve, and a special approach (wiggle-matching dating) is required. The famous Scythian time monuments Arzhan-1 and Arzhan-2 are located in this region and the wiggle matching method was used to establish the time of their construction. The Arzhan-1 is the oldest among the Scythian time monuments of all Eurasia. The chronology of other Scythian time monuments located in the western and eastern neighbouring territories of Tuva is considered and compared.