Central Asia

Online only. 

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95065860975?pwd=anc3ZnA4NmhjRng5SXRpVHk2Tkh5UT09

Chronologically, the research materials cover a period of 1400 years, spanning from the first century CE to the 15th century CE. These materials were discovered on the territories of Ukraine and Kazakhstan and share significant commonalities. The comparison enables a broad examination of the history of Eurasia, emphasizing the uniqueness of production technologies and the use of golden threads.

The talk provides an overview of the research on the elite Saka burial mounds in the foothills of the Tarbagatai mountains, conducted by the Shilikta-Tarbagatai archaeological expedition under the leadership of Prof.  Abdesh Toleubaev, starting in 2018. The main emphasis is on the latest archaeological materials identified during excavations at the sites of Shilikty, Koktubek, and Eleke Sazy.

The Taksay-1 Kurgan Complex is located on the territory of the Terekty district of the West Kazakhstan Region and consists of six kurgans. In 2012, an archaeological team from the West Kazakhstan Local History Museum, led by Dr. Yana Lukpanova, discovered and excavated a unique elite burial of a woman from a privileged stratum of the early nomadic society, the Sarmatians, dating back to the 5th century BCE.

During the Saka/Scythian time, territories of the steppe region of Kazakhstan was occupied by the Tasmola culture (800-500 BCE), which was discovered and identified in 1966, by the Kazakh archaeologist Mir Kadyrbaev. Currently, our understanding of the Tasmola culture has been enriched with discoveries of new types of archaeological sites, i.e. "royal" mounds, settlements, stone statues. Their scientific analyses clarify cultural and chronological periodization of the Saka era in Central Kazakhstan.