Large Mounds Research Articles

Study on Extraction of Cold Air through a Vertical Hole from a Large Snow Mound ― Functional approximation of α^X and F^X with separated αF values and their applications―

Study on Extraction of Cold Air through a Vertical Hole from a Large Snow Mound ― Functional approximation of α^X and F^X with separated αF values and their applications―

Origin and Dynamics of Termite Mound Soils in Southern India

Aims: In Southern India, termite above-ground nests can have the shape of cathedral (CAT) or lenticular (LENT) mounds. Although CATare built by the fungus-growing species Odontotermes obesus, the origin and evolution of LENT remain unknown. Therefore, the aim of to study was to estimate the origin and dynamics of LENT from their specific physical and chemical properties.
 Study Site: This study was carried out in the Bandipur Tiger reserve (dry deciduous forest), Karnataka, Southern India.
 Methodology: All the soil samples were collected in a Fluvisol in the Mule Hole experimental watershed.Only large size mounds between 1.5 - 1.8m high were considered in this study. Soil samples were collected from the outer wall of CATnest and from the soil surface layer (0-5 cm deep) and surrounding soil. Particle-size distribution and dispersion were obtained by process of sedimentation. All the statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) were calculated using R studio and R version 3.2.1.
 Results: Using elemental physical and chemical properties, this study showed a gradient of soil properties from the soil sampled between 50-100 cm depth to CAT, LENT and the surrounding topsoil (CTRL, Fluvisol), suggesting that: (i) CAT can be considered patches in the landscapes with specific physical and chemical properties in comparison with CTRL and LENT; (ii) LENT mounds can result from the progressive modification of CTRL (autogenic origin of LENT) and their degradation leads to a progressive recovery of CTRL properties or (iii) they originate from the colonization of abandoned CAT by other termite species (exogenic origin of LENT).
 Conclusion: This study confirms the complexity of CAT and LENT fates and the need for long-term datasets to determine the origin and evolution of termite mounds.

Древние ритуальные объекты Окинского плоскогорья (Восточный Саян)

Sacral beliefs took one of the most important spheres in the life of ancient societies. The evidence of such beliefs can be recognized in stone constructions used for various ritual activities and differentiated by architectonic features depending on their functionality. Some of such constructions were found on the territory of the Oka region (Buryat Republic). One part of them has a four-angled, circular, or ring-shaped form and a diameter up to 2 m; the other had circular burial mound-like or flat configuration with a diameter of 3–6 m. The first excavations of the large stone mounds of the circular form were carried out in 1870 P.A. Rovinskiy near the Oka guard fort (archeological site Oka, locality 1 and 2). The researcher characterized excavated constructions as cenotaphs or sacrificial places. In 2020 A.V. Kharinskiy excavated other two large stone mounds at the Shasnur-3 archeological site. Based on materials from excavations reinforced with ethnographical data, we can regard circular mounds with the 3–6 m diameter in the Mountain Oka region as cenotaphs. One of the small ring-shaped stone settings was investigated by V.I. Tashak at the Zun Nomto-Gol-1 archeological site. Taking into consideration the ethnographical data, the setting from Nomto-Gol-1 as other stone settings with a diameter up to 2 m can be characterized as ancient sacrificial places devoted to the spirits — hosts of the local landscapes. Key words: ancient ritual objects, burial grounds, Eastern Sayan, Oka plateau

ANCIENT ROADS NEAR DAVYDIV BRID AT INGULETS RIVER

In recent years, due to expansion of the capabilities of using high-resolution satellite images and their availability on many resources on the Internet, the possibility of identifying new sites is becoming especially relevant. In order to reveal the ability of land communications as well as for the study of close relationship of the barrows and steppe roads we made the attempt to map them as completely as possible using the remote sensing methods in the area between the Dnieper and the Lower Ingulets Rivers. 
 The coverage of large territory made it possible to identify the place of the highest concentration of road residues which was located near the modern village of Davydiv Brid (Beryslav district, Kherson region). There were three identified so-called «Stars» — Bajdak-Mohyla, Shurzhyna and Bilohirka. At the base of each of them was a large mound of the 6—8 m high. All of them were in the line of sight from one to another and marked the place of the traditional crossing of the Ingulets River.
 On the basis of the remnants of roads associated with them the main directions of movement were identified: 1) the largest to the southeast to the area of the modern city of Beryslav; 2) a less saturated but clearly traced eastern route to the area of the modern Dudchany village; 3) along the Ingulets valley on the top of the steppe plateau.
 The internal structure and arrangement of the mounds and remains of roads is very complicated and can only be partially reconstructed. For example, we consider the fact of the seasonal use of Shurzhin’s star to bypass two lowlands located near Bajdak-Mogyla as obvious. From the last point several direct routes of the southeastern direction can be traced which were convenient in the dry season.
 The attempt to compare the roads identified by us with the paths of the «three-verst Schubert map» of the 19th century had a few results. Only in some cases it is possible to trace the coincidence of the historical paths with those recorded by us in the southeastern direction and only on certain sections. In the eastern direction and the route along Ingulets there are no this kind of coincidences were actually revealed.
 As a result we consider it necessary to admit that the remains of the roads we have recorded should be considered a special type of archaeological monuments accompanying other objects, primarily mounds. The phenomenon of the remains of these roads and the «stars» described by us is the phenomenon which reflects the certain part of human activity in the past and should be studied with the involvement of the as largest as possible territories and conducting field research.

Once again about objects with stone ridges

The article examines the cult-ritual or cult-memorial objects known in science as barrows with “mustaches”, which are still mysterious both in their origin and in content, as well as in their functional purpose. In general, the content and nature of the events that unfolded on the area of these objects are not entirely known, since so far the researchers do not have sufficient materialized remains, which give rise to various hypothetical conclusions and guesses, starting from a purely pragmatic approach in order to save time and labor costs. ending with the act of recoding the originally laid down semantic load in order to adapt it to their mythological complexes. In addition, the issues of chronological attribution of this type of archaeological monuments and the need to return to the issue of their comprehensive study at an interdisciplinary level are touched upon. According to the author, the latter circumstance will allow, first of all, to determine the dates of specific objects, and in some cases the stages of construction of various components of the entire ensemble, since there are opinions about the simultaneity of individual components – a large mound and small objects, the whiskers themselves, which could be attached later to early burial (or memorial) structures. The author proposes to consider in the future “barrows with mustaches”, geoglyphs and arans, as similar in content semantics load, one-order phenomena that took place in the steppe space in the 2nd-5th centuries. Key words: burial mounds with “ridges”, cultural and chronological affiliation, Hunnic time, pre- Türks, semantic meaning.

First Documentation of Two Types of Aboveground Den Structures in the Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius)

Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk) is a small, nocturnal carnivore that typically spends daylight hours resting in underground den sites. During a study on the den-site selection of S. p. ambarvalis (Florida Spotted Skunk) in the dry prairie of south-central Florida in 2016 and 2017, we tracked individuals to discernible aboveground structures composed of vegetation on 25 occasions. These structures were 1 of 2 easily distinguishable types: large mounds of vegetation primarily composed of shredded Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto), or smaller cup-like structures with a horizontal entrance that resembled a ground-nesting bird's nest. These sites were occasionally reused by individual skunks, and on 1 occasion we observed 2 female spotted skunks occupying a site at the same time. Due to the absence of other wildlife species in the study area capable of making such structures, we believe that these structures were created by the skunks themselves. While Eastern Spotted Skunks are known to pull vegetation into their underground burrows, and have been documented occupying man-made structures (e.g., haystacks) as den sites, our observations represent the first documentation of aboveground, self-constructed structures being repeatedly used by this species. Use of these structures might be unique to Florida Spotted Skunk due to reduced predation risk or occasional flooding in the region that temporarily reduces availability of underground den sites.

The Pueblo Bonito mounds: Formation history, architectural context and representational fields

There are two large mounds comprised of enormous quantities of construction debris and discarded household debris associated with rapid growth of the Pueblo Bonito great house in Chaco Canyon between ca. CE 1040 and 1100. There is some debate among specialists as to whether these features were expedient refuse middens or constructed platform mounds or something in between, and thus whether they index political processes linked to control of labor by elites. Although originally investigated by archaeologists between 1896 and 1927, this study presents the first detailed formation history for each mound, based on recent fieldwork by the University of New Mexico. We argue that the mounds were not the product of institutionalized political power as assumed for platform mounds in other parts of North America but rather reflect local landscape changes associated with complex social negotiations during a period of rapid social transformation.

Pedogeomorphology and paleoenvironmental implications of large termite mounds at the Brazilian semiarid landscape

Large termite mounds, regionally called Murundus, forming hillocks throughout the Brazilian territory, occur, with different names, across the entire tropical belt. Little is known about the genesis and age of these large biogenic structures in the semiarid zone, where termites have a limited range due to water deficit. We aimed to understand the process of mounds building on different types of soils at the ecotonal semiarid region of Minas Gerais state. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that these mounds have been produced by termites during the Holocene, and that the paleoenvironmental conditions during mound formation were different from today, helping to enhance the understanding of vegetation dynamics in the semiarid Caatinga Biome. For this, five mounds with and without living termites (M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5) and five adjacent soil profiles (P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5) were selected for morphological description, followed by physical, chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological analysis, as well as δ13C and 14C dating analysis. The occurrence of these large termite mounds in the semiarid landscape is unrelated to soils or parent material, and represent the products of cumulative termite activity in the edge of the semiarid domain. Mounds and adjacent soils formed after the mid Holocene (younger than 4000 years), based on 14C dating, and may be even older. The calculated rates of termite accretion (based on 14C dating) are consistent with previous reports of tropical soils, in the range of 0.027 to 0.066 cm soil/Ha/y. A comparative estimate based on mound volume and density was 0.188 cm soil/Ha/y, up to 3.5 times greater than the previous approach based on 14C dating. These figures suggest the production of a soil mantle in the range of 270–660 cm in 10,000 years, accounting for erosion. The mounds and adjacent soils have differences in micropedological features, notably related to bioturbation (excremental infillings), and contrasting textural variations with depth, with higher and more uniform clay and silt contents in mounds, and a kaolinitic/illitic mineralogical composition throughout. The chemical fertility of murundus depends on the type of underlying soil from which it was built, and does not increase in all cases. In the murundus studied, the microgranular structure typical of oxic materials is welded and massive, indicating that the natural compaction of soils dominated by kaolinite/illite under the semi-arid climate prevents the stability of loose aggregates formed by termite bioturbation, reorganizing the termitic microaggregate groundmass. This clearly shows the polycyclic (polyphasic) biogenic nature of mounds and adjacent soils, corroborated by carbon isotopes studies. Soils and mounds are younger than mid Holocene in the first 100 cm, and experienced alternations of dry and wet climate spells from the mid-Holocene onwards, resulting in apparent changes in vegetation at the ecotonal, southern limit of semi-arid Caatinga, over the last 5000 years. Since we did not reach the base of mounds, they should be even older; mounds represent fine proxies for Holocene paleoclimate reconstructions, if a more detailed pedostratigraphic study is carried out. A general model of termite mounds formation in relation to the interconnected pedological, geomorphological and vegetational evolution is presented, summarizing all present knowledge on these outstanding biogenic landforms.

Reconstructing Sovereignty on Ancient Mesoamerica's Southern Pacific Coast

ABSTRACTThe internal control and external sovereignty that define nation‐states today has a long (pre)history. Many archaeologists undertheorize sovereignty by only implicitly inferring the sovereign status of the polities they study. Sovereignty also remains insufficiently operationalized in terms of its material remains, especially for those ancient societies without written accounts. During the final centuries before the Common Era, a network of kingdoms existed along the Pacific coast of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Large earthen mounds that formed plazas lined with stelae, elaborately carved in a shared art style, defined each kingdom's capital city. Izapa was the largest of these kingdoms, and recent lidar (light detection and ranging) and pedestrian surveys document the entire territory encompassing dozens of political centers. These data reveal an integrated three‐tiered political hierarchy within the kingdom with the largest centers arranged defensively around the perimeter of Izapa's territory. Further, the “30 km rule” is defined as a cross‐cultural pattern for the spacing of sovereign polities and confirmed based on the location of Izapa and neighboring Pacific coast kingdoms. The record of millennia of hierarchically organized human pluralities generates a more complete, comparative understanding of how sovereignty was established and how it functions. [sovereignty, territoriality, political organization, Mesoamerica]

The Mound at the Temple of Athena at Paestum: The first five Steps in the Research Design

The article represents an extension of the chapter entitled “New light on the temple of Athens: re- shaping the landscape” for the exhibition and catalogued called Poseidonia Città d’Acqua, which opened at Paestum in October of 2019. There emphasis was placed on presenting the substantive gains made in the study of the large artificial mound at the site. Here the focus will shift to the design of the fieldwork, which was carried out over five field seasons. The first part of the article reviews each of the steps in the research design: (1) the GPR survey (August 2019), (2) the initial series of cores made by hand (November 2017), (3) the first excavations (July 2018), (4) the series of ten deep, machine-made cores (April 2019) and (5) the second excavations (June 2019). This is followed by a wider discussion of my field experience on previous projects and then by the thinking that went into the individual steps in the research design and that brought them together in a coherent way.

The construction of terrestrial mounds and arboreal nests by termites – A micromorphological approach for species from Katanga, DR Congo

Micromorphological features of structures created by termites have the potential of recording some aspects of the building practices that are involved in their development. This was assessed for terrestrial mounds and arboreal nests of various termite species that are common in the southern part of Katanga, DR Congo. The three main feeding-strategy groups that are significant for this region are covered, namely fungus-growing, soil-feeding and wood-feeding species. In the large mounds of the main fungus-growing species (Macrotermes), bucal pellets are the basic building blocks, but these are only recognized for recent infillings and for local occurrences of contrasting materials in massive parts of the mounds. Mound construction by the main soil-feeding species (Cubitermes) is done by deposition of faecal matter, with limited occurrence of depositional features due to lack of contrast or to post-depositional uniformization, but components that were added by other types of transport are present as well. Arboreal nests of the most common wood-feeding species (Microcerotermes) consists of finely comminuted plant remains, with a clear difference in type of deposition of faecal matter between initial and later stages of septa construction. Overall, this study illustrates that recognition of depositional features requires favourable conditions (e.g. soil heterogeneity, lack of disturbance), and that identification of type of deposition can need to be based on various criteria (e.g. pellet forms, particle size).

Other effective area-based conservation measure promotes recovery in a cold-water coral reef

In 2003, a large Lophelia pertusa reef complex was discovered on the southeast edge of the Scotian Shelf, representing the only known cold-water coral reef in Canada. Extensive damage to the reef from bottom fishing activities was apparent, which resulted in the establishment of the 15-km2Lophelia Coral Conservation Area (LCCA) in 2004 to prevent further damage and allow recovery. Since 2004, the effectiveness of the LCCA in achieving these objectives has never been assessed. Through the analysis of benthic images collected in 2003, 2009, and 2015, we evaluated the effectiveness of the LCCA in terms of its success in facilitating the recolonization and recovery of its target species, L. pertusa, and in conserving local benthic biodiversity. Using multivariate community analyses and generalized linear modelling techniques, we compared changes in the diversity, abundance, and composition of epibenthic megafauna within and outside its boundaries over the 12-year period. We observed an increase in epibenthic megafaunal species density and abundance over time that was higher inside the closure than outside, suggesting that the LCCA has facilitated the recruitment and recovery of the benthic communities within its confines. While recruitment of L. pertusa was low, the recent discovery of numerous undisturbed large mounds of live L. pertusa establishes a local recruitment source, a prerequisite for the reef structure to recover to its pre-disturbed state. We recommend that monitoring of the reef structure occur every 7–10 years to evaluate the settlement and growth of L. pertusa and the other deep-water corals that reside there.

Types of the Cambrian platform margin mound-shoal complexes and their relationship with paleogeomorphology in Gucheng area, Tarim Basin, NW China

Based on the observation of outcrops and cores, thin section identification, restoration of paleogeomorphology by residual thickness method, fine description of seismic facies, etc., the coupling relationships between the development patterns of various types of Cambrian platform margin mound-shoal complexes and paleogeomorphology in the Gucheng area of Tarim Basin have been examined. The Cambrian platform margin mound-shoal complex is divided into mound base, mound core, mound front, mound back and mound flat microfacies, which are composed of dolomites of seven textures with facies indication. The different paleogeomorphology before the deposition of mound-shoal complex in each period was reconstructed, and three types of mound-shoal complex sedimentary models corresponding to the paleogeomorphologies of four stages were established: namely, the first stage of gentle slope symmetric accretion type, the second stage of steep slope asymmetric accretion type and the third and fourth stages of steep slope asymmetric progradation type. Their microfacies are respectively characterized by “mound base - mound back + (small) mound core + mound front - mound flat” symmetric vertical accretion structure, “mound base - (large) mound core + mound front - mound flat” asymmetric vertical accretion structure, “mound base - (small) mound core + mound front - mound flat” asymmetric lateral progradation structure. With most developed favorable reservoir facies belt, the steep slope asymmetric accretion type mound-shoal complex with the characteristics of “large mound and large shoal” is the exploration target for oil and gas reservoir.

Compositional control on impact crater formation on mid-sized planetary bodies: Dawn at Ceres and Vesta, Cassini at Saturn

High-resolution mapping of Ceres, Vesta and the icy satellites of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto reveals a rich variety of well-preserved impact crater morphologies on these low gravity bodies. These objects provide a natural laboratory to study effects of composition on crater formation processes under similar surface gravity conditions (though mean impact velocities vary by several factors). Simple craters occur on all these bodies but subtle differences in morphology on Ceres and Vesta are recognized. Immature complex craters (with large floor mounds but not terraces or conical central peaks) occur on Vesta and while smaller than predicted are consistent with its silicate composition. Asymmetric simple craters (with incomplete scarp development) on all bodies are likely related to differential overburden stresses in the rim, and their occurrence is consistent with lower crustal strength on icy bodies including Ceres. Immature and mature complex craters exhibit increasing degrees of complexity, including spiral floor deformation patterns (related to failure in converging floor material), central peaks, and impact melt. Cerean crater morphologic types and simple-complex transition diameters are smaller than on Vesta but similar to those on icy satellites, indicating a much weaker rheology for Ceres' outer layers under impact conditions. These are consistent with geophysical indications of a low-density water ice and probably clathrate rich outer shell. Fluidized floor deposits (impact melt or melt-solid mixtures) are significant in craters >25 km across on Ceres but absent on Saturn satellites. Central pit craters are common on Ceres (at diameters of ~75 to 150 km consistent with gravity scaling from the larger Galilean satellites) but are absent on Saturnian satellites and Charon. The contrasting impact melt and central pit behaviors on Ceres and Saturn's moons is contrary to expectation given the higher impact velocities at Saturn but might be related to lower internal temperatures, or the higher fraction of non-ice material on Ceres. The correlation or scaling of transition diameters to surface gravity is near −0.65 rather than −1, perhaps due to increased porosity on lower gravity bodies. The fundamental similarity of crater morphologies on Ceres and icy satellites, however, indicates that the weaker rheology of water ice results in similar craters even if the non-(ice+clathrate) components are as high as ~30 vol%.

Fauna associated with the nests of Crocodylus moreletii and Crocodylus moreletii × acutus in Belize

ABSTRACT Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and hybrid crocodiles (C. moreletii × acutus) are mound-nesting crocodilians found in the lowlands of northern and southern Belize, respectively. Nests of both crocodilians consist of large mounds of soil, vegetation, leaf litter, and in some cases sand. We here report on the fauna associated with nest mounds of C. moreletii and C. moreletii × acutus, and describe the associations between crocodiles and commensal fauna. Our data were collected during various ecological studies conducted from 1992 through 2000, and we examined 138 active (containing eggs) nests of C. moreletii and 11 active nests of C. moreletii × acutus. We noted the occurrence of at least 14 species of fauna associated with 45 (32.6%) C. moreletii and three (27.2%) C. moreletii × acutus nests. Nest-associated fauna included ants, bees, termites, turtles, squamates, birds, and mammals. Associations included five species dwelling within crocodile nest mounds, four species that deposited eggs in crocodile nest mounds, and five species nesting in close proximity to crocodile nests. Nest-associated fauna presumably benefit from the protection afforded by nest attendance and aggressive defence behaviour of female crocodiles, although these benefits have yet to be empirically established.

КУРГАНЫ ЭЛИТЫ ПЕРИОДОВ ПОЗДНЕЙ ДРЕВНОСТИ И СРЕДНЕВЕКОВЬЯ НА ЮГЕ КУЛУНДЫ (НЕКРОПОЛИ ВОЛЧИХИНСКОГО РАЙОНА АЛТАЙСКОГО КРАЯ)

The Volchikhinsky District of the Altai Territory is located in the southern part of the Kulunda Plain. This territory is the border zone of the southern Kulunda and the Priobskoye plateau. Most of the region is a steppe zone. This area is plowed. A large group of burial grounds of the elite of antiquity and the Middle Ages is concentrated in the Volchikhinsky district. It belongs to a large group of burial grounds with large mounds in the southern part of Kulunda. The Volchikha group includes 17 burial grounds. These are such necropolises as Pyatkov Log-I, Solonovka-I, Vostrovo-I, III. The most grandiose grave structures were found at the Pyatkov Log-I burial ground. They reach 90-100 m in diameter. These are large burial mounds 6 m high. They are surrounded by a wide ditch and rampart. To the south of this burial ground on the border of the northwestern foothills of Altai in the Aleiskaya steppe, a similar monument, Bugry, was investigated. This necropolis dates back to the end of the Scythian-Saka time. The mounds of the Pyatkov Log-I burial ground and most of the other elite mounds of the Volchikhinsky region also belong to this period. Keywords: Altai Territory, barrow group, "elite" burial structures, early Iron Age, Scythian-Saka time, Kulunda, Priobskoe plateau

Study on Extraction of Cold Air through a Vertical Hole from a Large Snow Mound ― Introduction of experimental formula of αF value and separation of αF value into α and F ―

Study on Extraction of Cold Air through a Vertical Hole from a Large Snow Mound ― Introduction of experimental formula of αF value and separation of αF value into α and F ―

Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata incubation mounds as habitat for other vertebrates

Ecosystem engineers change the availability of resources for other species by forming new habitat or modifying existing habitat but, despite the diversity of avian ecosystem engineers, 80% of current literature focuses on mammals and invertebrates. Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata build large incubation mounds of soil and leaf-litter that are likely to provide habitat for invertebrates and vertebrates but use of their mounds by other vertebrates has never been quantified. Here, we examine vertebrate fauna visitation rates at Malleefowl mounds and non-mounds using camera-trap data collected by two citizen science projects. From 2012 to 2018, 20 active Malleefowl mounds and 16 non-mound sites were monitored over 31,913 hours and 225,144 hours, respectively. In total, we identified visits by 1724 birds, reptiles and mammals from 36 species. The mean number of vertebrate visits per 1000 hours of surveillance was around one and a half times and species richness five times that at mounds compared with non-mounds. Malleefowl mounds may enhance the availability of invertebrate prey for insectivorous birds and mammals, provide a favourable microclimate for reptiles to thermoregulate, and be signalling/social communication locations. Our results show that further research is warranted and suggest that conservation of Malleefowl may be important not only for the Malleefowl itself, but also for a suite of mallee birds and reptiles.

Погребальный комплекс Имасиродзука как усыпальница императора Кэйтай

This article presents an analysis of the results of archaeological study of the Imashirozuka burial mound located in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, the Japanese Archipelago. Archaeological excavations at the site have been performed by the trench method. During the excavations, mounds of the tomb, sections of the ditch and the earth bank were partially investigated. The section where the haniwa sculptural group is located has been studied in full. Presently, the largest group of haniwa known in the territory of the Japanese islands was found there. The results of the excavations make it possible to reveal the main characteristics of the elements of the burial complex, and to obtain new data on the methods of construction of the burials for the leaders at the later stages of the Kofun period. The article considers reconstruction of the technology for the construction of large burial mounds. The results of the study of the artifacts and methods of reconstruction of the grave goods are provided. The burial mound was partly destroyed due to tomb raiding in antiquity, so only fragments of grave goods were found in the area of the round mound. The Japanese archaeologists, using complex research methods and materials from the similar sites, were able to determine the composition of the funerary equipment, which included horse equipment, weapons, armor, and jewelry. The theory of the Imashirozuka mound as a burial place of the Emperor Keitai is offered for consideration and some controversial points of the theory are highlighted. The Japanese archaeologists present important arguments for the recognition of Imashirozuka as an Imperial burial.

Višeslojni tumul u Novom Selu kod Bijeljine

The first step of the investigations in Novo Selo near Bijeljina (Republic of Srpska), in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina known as Semberija, took place between 2016 and 2019 in the frame of the project “Visualizing the Unknown Balkans,” initiated by the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (now Austrian Archaeological Institute) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Museum of Semberija in Bijeljina. The slightly elevated mounds in Novo Selo and Muharine at the eastern outskirts of the city of Bijeljina remained unregistered in archaeological literature despite their exposed position. Following the results of magnetic prospecting in 2016 that indicated the existence of ditches and a variety of structures, the first excavation was carried out in late 2018 at the mound in Novo Selo. At that point, neither a chronology nor an interpretation of the large earth mounds could be put forward, since there were no comparable investigated structures in the surroundings or surface finds suggesting an approximate age. The excavations in Novo Selo revealed highly remarkable structures and the use of the place as burial grounds in the Late Copper Age (3200–2600 BC), the earliest stage of the Middle Bronze Age (1750–1650 BC), and finally in the late Middle Ages (1000–1300 AD). In terms of cultural affiliation, the Copper Age finds (pottery) and urn cremation burials correspond with the repertoire of the late Baden complex and the Kostolac culture, while the Middle Bronze Age inhumation burial shows similarities with the graves in the lower Drina valley. The discoveries made in Novo Selo exemplify the complexity of burial mounds and their importance for prehistoric communities, especially in an open landscape like Semberija, with multifarious influences from the Balkans, the Carpathian Basin, and the Danube area