Tiny Drone Reveals Ancient Royal Burial Sites [ Scythians ]

LiveScience ^ | October 7, 2011 | Charles Choi

[SunkenCiv]

Tuekta is in the Altai Mountains where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together. Researchers there have discovered burial mounds 2,300 to 2,800 years old and up to 250 feet (76 meters) wide.

These burial mounds, called "kurgans," probably belonged to chiefs or princes among the Scythians, a nomadic people known for their horsemanship, who once had a rich, powerful empire. Excavations of some of these have revealed extraordinary treasures of gold and other artifacts well-preserved by permafrost.

Nearly 200 burial mounds were discovered in Tuekta, situated along the River Ursul. The site's heart appears to once have been a row of five monumental Scythian burial mounds with diameters between 140 and 250 feet (42 and 76 m). Regretfully, "in this study area, most of the burial mounds are destroyed," Hendrickx said.

The test area the researchers chose measured approximately 1,000 feet by 330 feet (300 by 100 m), including the five giant mounds and dozens of smaller structures. They flew the drone at a height of 130 feet (40 m) to study one mound in greater detail.

The lightweight nature of the microdrone was a problem at times. "In the field we had to deal with rising wind," Hendrickx recalled. "At some point we even lost the radio connection with the drone — this led to a sprint between the kurgans."

[SunkenCiv]

A 3-D model of a Scythian burial mound based on images captured by a micro-drone. CREDIT: Marijn Hendrickx

[SunkenCiv]

This reminds me — have you seen those iPhone/iPad guidable mini-choppers at Brookstone?

[Rebelbase]

Perhaps this will be the way Ghengis Khan’s tomb will be discovered.

[Red_Devil 232]

DRONE

[Winstons Julia]

If you squint, it looks like a bear’s face.