Finding ancient petroglyphs in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan

作者：Penny Boviatsou

数千年来，人类以岩画的形式在全球景观上留下了痕迹，形象刻在岩石露头中，最初是用石工具和后来的金属仪器。这些古老的标记经常在几千年的几千年中雕刻，证明了它们随着时间的流逝。因此，可以将岩画遗址理解为神圣的露天“历史书籍”。

In this context, petroglyphs are an important complement to archaeological data gleaned from burial sites. In broad terms, petroglyphs tend to provide insight into burial rites, social norms and material culture. They tell us about life events and the mythical ideas associated with them.

虽然在所有五大洲都发现了岩画，但中亚，西伯利亚南部和蒙古西部的山区尤其富裕地在青铜时代，铁器时代和土耳其时期。在这一广阔的岩石文字中，吉尔吉斯斯坦的Saimaluu Tash的地点是最大和最高的。它位于宽阔的费尔加纳山脉东部，位于OSH市东北约115公里处。

Due to Saimaluu Tash elevation, which ranges from 2,860 to 3,350 metres, the site is covered by snow 11 months of the year and is only accessible from mid-July to mid-August. In 2017, Esri, a global market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, helped a mixed team of local and international scientists to overcome the challenges and assisted with their research. Hexagon Geosystems supported their efforts providing the latest GNSS technology.

“Hexagon Geosystems’ technology facilitated the data collection, its high-level of accuracy, efficiency and precision exceeded our expectations for this demanding project,”瑞士ESRI的首席技术官Matthias Schenker说。“The direct support for the Leica GG04 Smart Antenna in Collector for ArcGIS made it really easy for us to directly integrate the data collection in our workflow.”

Rediscovering history

1902年，军事地形尼古拉·克鲁多夫（Nikolai G.Zima和Alexander N. Bernshtam分别于1946年和1950年进行了竞选活动。自从最初进入该地点以来的几十年中，一直进行零星的实地调查，直到2000年代初。

The objective of the researchers’ most recent expedition was to thoroughly survey, photograph and map the site with a view to produce a monograph and 3D interactive maps.

Expedition participants included:

1. Three archaeologists and petroglyph experts
2. 两个GIS专家
3. A local ground support team.

他们的目标是establish thematic clusters of petroglyphs within certain spaces. Furthermore, the team hoped to identify what appeared to be traces of as many as nine ancient settlements和卫星图像上的埋葬地点，分辨率为50厘米.

The expedition

The petroglyphs are concentrated in two valleys, divided by a steep ridge in the Saimaluu Tash Mountain Range—at the relatively large site Saimaluu Tash I in the western valley and at the smaller, and slightly more recent, site of Saimaluu Tash II in the neighbouring eastern valley. Saimaluu Tash I covers some 1.3 square kilometres while Saimaluu Tash II Covers less than 1 km2.

在三个星期的过程中，团队调查了大约4,500个带有岩画的石头和25,000至30,000张单张图像. The location of each of the petroglyph bearing stones was surveyed using Leica Geosystems GNSS receivers with decimetre accuracy in combination with the Collector for ArcGIS application on mobile devices. The application was configured to allow offline data collection on the basis of a high-resolution satellite image of the area for more timely and informed decisions.

“The Leica Zeno GG04 Smart Antenna was a unique tool for our project considering the demanding environmental conditions of the valley,”said Schenker.“Given its high precision technology, we were able to accomplish our goal and gather the most accurate data.”

为每个岩画记录了方向（方位角），以及照片和描述。研究区域的数字高程模型（DEM）和矫正图像是由无人驾驶汽车（UAV）拍摄的航空照片创建的。Leica GG04 GNSS智能天线还用于调查地面控制点（GCP）提高DEM和正射原的水平和垂直位置精度. The data were then categorised and stored in a geo-database in order to analyse the spatial distribution of the petroglyphs within the site as a whole as well as of individual categories. The results are best visualised on interactive 2D and 3D applications.

对于空间和统计分析，将数据分类并存储在地理数据库中，并使用ESRI使用ArcGIS Pro进行了评估。这允许分析整个站点内以及单个类别的岩画中岩画的空间分布。

From this dataset,结果以交互式2D和3D Web应用程序的bob综合app下载形式生成各种信息产品, as well as in the form of traditional paper maps showing the location and categorisation of the petroglyphs. The web-based maps and applications will be made available via ArcGIS Online and can be used for filtering and further analysis.

Additionally, thedata will also be made available for use in the AuGeo app created by Esri Labs. This allows to use this data in an augmented reality (AR) environment.

革命性考古学

“Archaeologists embrace technology, adopt new tools and accept revolutionary techniques that transform archaeology like never before in the past,”said Schenker.“我们很高兴成为这种转变的一部分。”

的岩画Saimaluu小胡子代表span of almost 3,000 years and reflect a great variety of themes. Since their creators selected motifs from their own surroundings and economies, which in turn were determined by climatic conditions, it is possible to establish a correlation between the petroglyphs, the climate, and the local economy. By revealing of such information of the past we gain a better understanding of the historical context and our social development over the years.

All information about the Saimaluu Tash petroglyph area is derived from the official expedition report by Christoph Baumer, a Swiss scholar and explorer, as it was published in the Fall 2017 edition of “The Explorers Journal”.