Archaeologists from AltSU will create a virtual collection of stone statues of nomads – TASS

Archaeologists from Altai State University will use photogrammetry to create the first virtual collection of ancient sculptures of early nomads - deer stones. The collection will include deer stones from Tuva, Transbaikalia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, Professor Alexei Tishkin, Head of the Department of Archeology, Ethnography and Museology of the university, told TASS.

“In June, we are planning the first trip for fixing and modern documentation of deer stones. These are ancient sculptures of the earliest nomads, which have human features and depict the realities of that time - daggers, shields, mirrors, belts, and headdresses. This is one of the themes of the Russian Science Foundation project. The main task is to create a virtual electronic catalog of such statues. <…> The project will implement new information digital recording technologies — photogrammetry. This practice will be implemented for the first time, no one has previously dealt with the topic of deer stones,” said Tishkin.

According to the professor, the technique includes numerous images of each stone, which are subsequently processed using a neural network. As a result, a 3D model of each stone appears, available for viewing from various angles. In order to create a model of one such stone, archaeologists will have to take about 1.5 thousand photographs with all the smallest details of the sculpture - cracks and corners.

“The technique will be used for the first time in such a highly professional format. We are also planning a trip to Tuva to do this. The most informative deer stones are, of course, in Mongolia. About 1.5 thousand such sculptures are known in the world, with approximately 1350-1370 of them being in Mongolia. The main work will be in Mongolia, and in general the project will take at least two years. There are also such stones in Transbaikalia, Kazakhstan. Moreover, stones in different countries and regions have distinctive features. In Altai, they also exist, but not much,” Tishkin emphasized.

He specified that archaeologists from Moscow would also come to the region to participate in the project.

Deer stones are massive hewn stone slabs with drawings. Most often, a deer is depicted on the plates, from where the name of the stones came from. The drawing on the stone is usually embossed or applied with ocher. In Altai, the most famous deer stone is Chuisky, located at the Chuisky tract. The stones belong to the period of the Bronze and Iron Ages. They were installed at places of sacrifice, celebrations and at graves.