“The earth is the vessel for thee, the sky the cover”: to the question about the ritual function of vessels with lids on monuments of the Bronze Age of Kazakhstan
Zhalelov A.
31 March 2025Margulan Institute of Archaeology
Kazakhstan Archeology
2025#27Issue 1155 - 172 pp.
The article is devoted to the analysis of the ritual function of vessels with lids found in burials and altars of the Bronze Age of Kazakhstan. The study covers data from 44 sites from the Middle and Late Bronze Age to the Final Bronze Age (21th–8th centuries BC). The main attention is paid to the study of chronological and cultural aspects of the distribution of vessels with lids, mainly found in children’s burials. On the basis of the analysis of archaeological and ethnographic data, the hypothesis explaining the use of lids in rituals aimed at disarming forces hostile to man is proposed. The significance of vessels with lids went beyond the simple protection of their contents, reflecting the cultural and social ideas of ancient societies. Prospects for further research are related to the reconstruction of the contents of the vessels, as well as a deeper study of the cultural context of this ritual.
altars , Bronze Age , burials , ceramic lids , ceramics , Kazakhstan , stone lids , vessels
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Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University
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