Suchergebnisse

The article briefly discusses the conservation and restoration of the saddle from the Berel burial mound no. 11; the methods of studying the condition of the saddle, preparing it for exhibition, and the results of the work are listed. The authors also attempt to provide an archaeological interpretation of the artifact, i. e. the decoration of the saddle. Similar mythological content and artistic ways of its expression are revealed for the population of the Altai Mountains and Zhetysu in the era of the early nomads. In particular, this can be traced in the structure and design of the cult attributes of Zhetysu and the decoration of horse harness, saddles of the population of the Altai Mountains in the Early Iron Age.

This article introduces the material on the Mugodzhar petroglyphs for scientific discussion. For the first time, full-fledged copies of cave paintings obtained during the continuous fixation of the flat surfaces of the Toleubulak large grotto are published, which allows attracting a wide range of researchers to study and analyze the earliest rock art of Kazakhstan. A comparative and narrative-stylistic study and an analysis of the technique of cave paintings in the Toleubulak large grotto helped to identify three main chronological layers with cave paintings: petroglyphs of the pre-Paleometallic epoch (Neolithic), petroglyphs of the transition period from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age (Eneolithic–Early Bronze) and petroglyphs of the Late Bronze Age. The new interpretation of cave paintings of mushroom-shaped figures of the late Bronze Age is proposed. Thus, parallels are drawn with the images of the labyrinths of Dagestan, the drawings on the Northeastern Caspian sanctuary, the labyrinths of the White Sea and the arrow-shaped structures of Ustyurt.

The article proposes a cross-cultural analysis of the concept of continuity of burial traditions in the cultures of the protoTurkic and Turkic peoples of northern Eurasia, based on archaeological and folklore sources and ethnographic data of the Kazakh and Yakut ethnicities. Researchers use materials from archaeological studies of known and new sites of the Early Iron Age and Turkic time in Kazakhstan (Berel, Kyrykungir, etc.). The study of the topic requires the use of methodological approaches and developments of cultural and social anthropology, structural and semiotic analysis, deciphering the general appearance of similar cases in the spiritual culture of asynchronical, but mono-ethnic societies for the reconstruction of worldview ideas. When characterizing burial sites, the authors use traditional methods of archaeological description, chronological determination, stratigraphy, typological analysis, etc. New data have been obtained on the connections of elements of the worldview of tribes from the early Iron Age — the Middle Ages, enshrined in the burial rite of the Saka and Turkic population of the Eurasian steppes and materials of modern folklore of Turkic peoples (Kazakhs and Sakha Yakuts).

In May 2021, a joint expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS and the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan carried out archaeological survey at the Aktas site in northern Kazakhstan. The Aktas site is located on the flat top of a hill (420 m) with a quartzite rocky outcrop. The site was studied by V.N. Matvienko in 1982-1983. At that time, a representative collection of faunal remains (several thousand items) was recovered from the excavation area of 25 sq.m. It contains remains of Crocuta crocuta spelaea, Panthera leo spelaea, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus. Occurrence of objects with traces of working and lithic products interpreted as tools allowed researchers to correlate the materials from this site with Upper Paleolithic human activities. The main task of the works in 2021 was to verify involvement of ancient humans information of the materials at the site and determination of its age. A new stratigraphic profile containing 6 lithological layers was established along the wall of the excavation trench of 1982-1983. Faunal remains were mostly collected from layers 3 (brownish-gray sandy loam) and 4 (detrital horizon). In total, 82 animal bones were recovered including remains of Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus ferus and Caprinae gen. No lithic artifacts were found, however, solitary bones bearing traces of probable anthropogenic impact (splitting, polishing) were found. The Aktas location on a hill excludes the possibility of bone-bed formation due to natural geological processes. The derived information makes it possible to link the accumulated materials at the site to anthropogenic activity. Based on the composition of faunal remains, Aktas was aged to late MIS 3 - early MIS 2.

In 2019, the Russian-Kazakhstani archaeological expedition discovered the first stratified Mesolithic site in Eastern Kazakhstan — the Karasai site. The site is located in the mid-mountain part of the Shilikta Valley, about 1500 m asl. In the course of excavations a rich cultural layer (layer 2) with numerous artifacts of the Early Holocene age was recorded. The industry includes elements of all stages of lithic production, and the typological features of the primary knapping and the tool kit correspond to the Mesolithic time. This chronological characteristic is confirmed by a series of AMS- and OSL- dates in the range of 12000—9000 cal BP. The Karasai industry has a similarity with the complexes of the initial Holocene without geometric microliths in the Northern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia.