Realm 3: Tumulus Excavations

The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the tumuli excavations have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 3.

Total size of all files: approximately 2 gigabytes
Chapter(s) linked to: Eight
Abbreviations: “T” = tumulus, as in T099; “S” = site, as in S006

The excavation methods employed by PASH at tumuli replicate those employed at settlements. Natural stratigraphy was followed where possible, and arbitrary stratigraphic levels were defined when necessary. Arbitrary stratigraphic levels at tumuli often exceeded the 10 cm interval used at settlements, due to the large number of large rocks that needed to be removed. Due to the numerous rocks, not all mound fill was screened; rather, we screened every third bucket through quarter-inch mesh. By contrast, all soil from features was screened. Soil was sampled for flotation and water screening from every level and feature, but unlike samples from settlements, it has not been processed and analyzed. Each tumulus, being roughly circular, was divided into quadrants along the cardinal directions, and 1-m baulks between quadrants were defined. Quadrants were excavated separately by level. Sometimes quadrants were excavated concurrently. Tumulus unit/level/feature designations are therefore preceded by tumulus (T000) and quadrant (Q000) numbers. Artifact provenience was recorded down to levels and features, with important in situ artifacts sometimes being mapped into level/feature drawings along x-y-z axes. Strata and artifacts were measured cm below surface using a dumpy level. All levels and features were drawn and photographed, individually and by quadrant.

In each mound we followed natural stratigraphy whenever and wherever possible. However, given the steep downward curves of many strata, following the slopes of mound surfaces, this was not always possible. Thus, it is likely that some levels combine artifacts from different mound strata. To control partially for this difficulty, quadrant levels were often subdivided into separate units on the interior or the exterior of mounds (designated “collections units” or CUs). Mound and grave architecture, when present, was left in place until fully defined and documented and then removed if necessary. Baulks were drawn in profile and photographed and removed en masse at the end of each excavation.

Prior to excavation, all mounds surveyed in Shtoj and Shkrel were mapped and fully documented. The state of preservation (present day and projected into the future) of each mound was recorded (from poor to excellent, and from fully safe to critically endangered). Given that so many mounds in both regions were already damaged or had been destroyed, or were actively threatened, we decided to excavate mounds that were (1) already completely removed (T-085), (2) damaged by agricultural activities (T-052), (3) going to be removed by a landowner (despite legal prohibitions) (T-088), and (4) previously looted or excavated (T-099). We did not want to excavate seemingly intact, undamaged mounds. Our tumulus excavations can therefore be aptly described as “rescue” excavations.