Small Gumarovo Kurgans of Scythian-Sarmatian Time at South Ural: Chronology, Features of the Funeral Rites and Issues of Cultural Attribution

The article presents an analysis of the burial rite and chronology of the Gumarovo cemetery, located on the border of the steppe and mountain-steppe zones of the Southern Urals, at the southern tip of the almost completely forested low plateau Zilair (Russia, Orenburg oblast, right bank of the Sakmara River). The cemetery consists of 5 stone kurgans, explored in 1979–1980 by an expedition led by R.B. Ismagilov. A burial of Early Scythian time was revealed in one of the kurgans (the so-called “Bolshoy Gumarovskiy”, “Big Gumarovo”), and immediately became widely known among researchers. The cemetery itself belongs to a later time, also known as “Sauromatian” time. Based on the chronological indicators and simultaneous occurrence of accompanying inventory categories, it is determined that the cemetery dates back to the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC and existed for a very short time. The burial rite features of the Gumarovo kurgans (stone mounds, wide oval graves, sloping walls, circular chamber graves, heads of the deceased oriented to the west and the east) indicate that it belongs to a special “Mugodzharian” group of nomads from the Southern Urals steppes eastern part. The origin of this group of nomads is associated with the migration of the Northern and Central Kazakhstan nomads to the steppes of the Orsk-Ilek interfluve, i.e. to the west of the Mugodzhar ridge; with their long-lasting interaction with the local population of the Sauromatian (proved by Blumenfeld and East Aral complexes) and Early Sarmatian time; as well as assimilating part of the Early Saka appearance population, which occupied the steppes of the Southern Trans-Urals in the 7th – 6th centuries BC. It is shown that it is the “Mugodzharian” features that make the kurgans in the eastern part of the Southern Urals steppes significantly specific.

The north-easternmost record of a Central Asian funnelweb spider, Coelotes turkestanicus Ovtchinnikov, 1999 (Araneae, Agelenidae)

The first record of the funnelweb spider Coelotes turkestanicus Ovtchinnikov, 1999 from the eastern Kazakhstan is presented. This species was previously known from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, and the Orenburg Oblast of Russia. The new record is located approximately 500 km northeast from the closest known locality of the species in southern Kazakhstan. A redescription, digital photographs, and a distribution map are provided.

Historical and cultural assessment of urbanized territories as the part of cadastral, land management and other economic activities

It is necessary to have up-to-date information on the historical and cultural value of territories and use it in the process of cadastral, land management and estimation activities for effective and rational dealing with real estate, sustainable city development, and preserving cultural heritage. The authors have developed conceptual assessment methodology basics of historical-and-cultural value of urbanized areas and a scale of historical and cultural value. They have also proposed a list of evaluative factors. Using the hierarchy analysis method, these factors were categorized. A method for calculating the coeffi cient of the historical and cultural value of territories using the fuzzy sets theory is introduced. This technique was tested in the territory of the historical center of Orenburg, Orenburg oblast (978 objects were analyzed). Conclusions on the value of the territory are made. Using GIS MapInfo Pro 2019, a map of the historical and cultural value of the historical center of Orenburg was compiled basing on the assessment results. The use of the assessment results in cadastral, land management and valuation activities is proposed.

PVsyst Software for Better Energy Efficiency of a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Power Station

The paper presents a classification of solar tracking systems used in photovoltaic power stations (PVS) and their operating principles. A simulation model of a grid-connected 5-kW PVS has been developed in PVsyst, to which end the researchers selected PVS equipment and optimized the PV cell tilt angles. The paper further analyzes a grid-connected PVS in Orenburg Oblast in PVsyst under the following configurations: static PV cells, not tilted vs seasonally varied tilts; single-axis solar trackers with vertical and horizontal axes of rotation vs a dual-axis solar tracker. The analysis is based on solar insolation data for 2019 obtained from the research team’s HP-2000 weather station. Dual-axis solar tracker and single-axis vertical trackers are shown to have the best year-round generation, providing an increase of 13.2% and 11.5%, respectively, against the static PV cells (no change in tilt).

Decoupling in the ecological, social and economic development of the extractive industry area

Subject. This article examines whether there is a relationship between decoupling and economic growth with no increase in the impact on the environment. Objectives. The article aims to perform a comprehensive analysis of the decoupling of a mineral producing area. Methods. For the study, we used generalization, synthesis, and the methods of tabular and correlation analyses. Results. The article says that there is no decoupling in such a mineral extraction area as the Orenburg Oblast. Conclusions. The lack of decoupling in the Orenburg Oblast indicates a slowdown in the Oblast's transition to sustainable environmental and social and economic development. At the government and business levels, there are still contradictions between the desire for economic profit and the need to solve environmental problems.

Red Data Updates for Orenburg Oblast

One of the ways to study and protect flora is keeping and publishing regional Red Data Books. A floristic study resulted in a series of data on the flora of Orenburg Oblast, which made it possible to make a set of criteria for updating the list of regional species for conservation. In early 2018, the authors proposed 6 species of vascular plants to be registered in the Red Data Book of Orenburg Oblast including Stipa zalesskii Wilensky, Iris aphylla L., Botrychium lunaria (L.) Sw., Pedicularis palustris L., Saxifraga sibirica L., Salvia glutinosa L. The registration of some of them in the Red Data Book was recommended in view of an increased anthropogenic adverse impact on their habitats and a growing threat of extinction. On September 2018, the proposed Red Data updates for Orenburg Oblast outlined in this article were adopted and approved by the Government of the Orenburg Oblast.