Grave Goods of an Elite Saka Burial at Kyrykoba in the Context of Cultural Ties Between the Nomads of Kazakhstan and Siberia
Iskakov K.A. Umitkaliev U.U. Mitko O.A.
2022Institute of Archaeology and Enthnography of the Siberian Branch of The Russian Academy of Sciences
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia
2022#50Issue 372 - 81 pp.
This article describes the findings of excavations of an Early Saka kurgan at Kyrykoba, Eastern Kazakhstan. The kurgan had been looted; human remains, according to physical anthropologists, belonged to a mature woman. Her cranium exhibited trepanation. Some 200 artifacts were found, mostly gold and stone ornaments (belt clips, gold seed beads, and simple beads). The most interesting find is a bimetallic pin made of iron. Its rod is missing; the tiny head, less the 1 cm in diameter, is covered with gold foil. On its surface, there is a figure of an ungulate with a curved antler, its body twisted 180°. This stylistic device in the depiction of ungulates and predators is typical of the Scythian-Siberian art of Kazakhstan and Western Siberia in 700-300 BC. Other rare finds include ornaments made from a cretaceous layer of oyster shells, such as pendants shaped as oval plates imitating tusks, or figurines of predatory animals-20 pieces, ranging in size from 0.4 × 0.4 to 2.5 × 2.5 cm. Oyster shells with thick cretaceous layers had been procured from the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The beads and the animal figurine made from cretaceous layers of oyster shells are paralleled by those from an Early Scythian era burial at Gilevo-10, Altai. These artifacts indicate regional and intracontinental trade and cultural ties in Eastern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, evidenced by similar technological traditions, images, compositions, and decorative motifs. © 2022 Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences © 2022 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Altai-Sayan , Early Iron Age , Kazakhstan , ornaments from cretaceous layer of oyster shells , Scythian animal style , trepanation
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Pr. Tauelsyzdyk 54, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan
Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satpayeva 2, Nur-Sultan, 010008, Kazakhstan
Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Gumilyov Eurasian National University
Novosibirsk State University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026