Analysis of building specifics and labor costs for the construction of the sopka-like mound of Plakun tract in Staraya Ladoga

Abstract

Sopkas are the largest burial-sacred mounds in the areola of their distribution. However, no research has yet been conducted aimed at reconstructing their building methods and labor costs. The object of the study is the sopka-like mound excavated in 1971–1973 by the Nosov and Nazarenko expedition. Some features of the mound, high level of quality of archaeological excavations, detailed reporting documentation and publication of the complex by the authors of the excavations allow us to make the most accurate calculations for this object among all the mounds. The results of the study allow changing the view that the construction required enormous efforts.