Archaeological examination of lands
Archaeological examination is a type of archaeological work to identify objects of historical and cultural heritage (archaeological sites) in the territories allocated for industrial construction and economic development of lands.
Archaeological examination is a new direction in the archaeology of Kazakhstan, which arose on the initiative of academician K.M. Baypakov in connection with numerous cases of destruction of archaeological monuments during construction work. The very first conclusion of archaeological examination in Kazakhstan was issued in 2007 on the construction project of the highway "Western Europe – Western China".
Baypakov K.M. and Umarkhojiyev A.A. at the excavations of an emergency monument of archeology, 2007.
Currently, the term "archaeological examination" (AE) is commonly used, and conducting an AE is mandatory for the implementation of any projects related to the reconstruction of highways, construction of wind farms, SES, oil/gas pipelines, laying of fiber optic or power lines, field development, etc. As a rule, conducting an AE is assigned at the stage of development of a feasibility study of the project, or at the stage of preparation of design and estimate documentation.
The need for an AE is due to Article 30 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Protection and Use of objects of historical and Cultural heritage" dated 12/26/2019 No. 288-VI LRK (Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The timely implementation of the AE allows, already at an early stage of the project, to obtain reliable information about the presence or absence of objects of historical and cultural heritage on the construction site and, if necessary, take measures to protect them. Administrative liability is provided for non-performance of the AE in accordance with Paragraph 4 of Art. 145 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the amount of up to two hundred and fifty monthly calculation indices, with the suspension of work.
In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, AE can only be performed by a qualified scientific organization on the basis of a state license and scientific accreditation.
Archaeological Expedition LLP is a leading non-governmental scientific organization in terms of conducting research in Kazakhstan, annually performing up to 50 archaeological and historical and cultural examinations throughout the country. Extensive practical experience has allowed us to develop an effective author's methodology for conducting AE, which has been approved in all state regional centers for the protection and use of historical and cultural heritage and is now successfully used by archaeologists throughout the country.
The results of the AE are the conclusion of an archaeological examination (the Conclusion of the AE) confirming the presence or absence of objects of historical and cultural heritage (archaeological monuments) in the studied territory. In the case of the discovery of objects of historical and cultural heritage, the Conclusion of the AE includes an appendix (scientific report) with a detailed description of the identified objects, photographs, location coordinates, as well as recommendations on protective measures in relation to them. In accordance with Art. 11 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the local executive body identifies, records and monitors the condition of historical and cultural monuments, in connection with which, the conclusion of the AE is subject to mandatory approval in the local executive body and is an integral part of the package of scientific and technical documentation of any project for passing the State examination of projects.