Late Saka Period Burial Mound from Eastern Saryarka

Курган позднесакского времени из Восточной Сарыарки
Aitkali A.K. Kurmangaliev A.K. Erzhanova A.E. Karimbaeva Z.R.
2025 Tomsk State University

Siberian Historical Research
2025 Issue 2 189 - 208 pp.

The article presents the results of archaeological research on mound No. 8 at the Khandar Saiy 1 burial site, located in the northern foothills of the Kokentau mountain range in Eastern Saryarka. The primary objective of the study was to refine the chronology and cultural attribution of the site through stratigraphic analysis of the mound, technological examination of ceramic fragments, and traceological analysis of a stone altar. Radiocarbon dating confirmed the Late Saka affiliation of the monument (4th-3rd centuries BC). Among the artifacts, a handmade ceramic vessel was discovered, typical in its manufacturing technology for Saka-Wusun sites. The stone altar is notable for traces of organic substances, ochre, and exposure to fire, indicating its use in funerary and ritual practices. The article addresses the issue of cultural differentiation within the Saka world through a comparative analysis of materials from mound 8 with those of the Karamola type and neighboring territories (Central Kazakhstan, Zhetysu, Eastern Kazakhstan), highlighting the complexity and diversity of ethno-cultural interactions during the Late Saka period. The obtained results significantly enhance existing understandings of the cultural and chronological relationships within Central and partly Eastern Kazakhstan during the Early Iron Age and open new prospects for further integrated research.

archeology , burial , ceramic fragments , Eastern Saryarka , Kazakhstan , Kokentau Mountains , kurgan , late Saka period , nomads , radiocarbon dating , stone altar

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A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Committee of Science, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan

A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

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