Part II Archaeological Excavations - Center for the Study of Eurasian ...

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Kurgans, Ritual Sites, and Settlements: Eurasian Bronze and Iron Age 32
Ancient Sanctuaries of the Aral and Caspian Regions A Reconstruction of their History Abstract This paper reviews a group of cultic sites dating to the 4 th –2 nd centuries BC recently discovered in the Aral-Caspian region, Republic of Kazakhstan. The chronological and ethnocultural attributes, and the theory that sites are related to the Asian military campaign of Alexander the Great are discussed. Archaeological expeditions conducted over several years in western Ustyurt and Mangyshlak revealed more than a dozen Early Iron Age sanctuaries. Analysis of some sanctuaries indicate that they are a unique complex of a type previously unknown throughout the Eurasian steppes. The sanctuaries display commonalities including stone anthropomorphic statues (more than 100 have been recovered), and stone sacrificial structures with the main feature being a round cultic construction up to 10 m in diameter; the latter has parallels with the Zoroastrian dakhma, although no trace of human bones or burials were recovered. It is presumed that the sculptures represent deceased ancestors. The discovery of large monolithic altars, known as “sacrificial tables,” suggest that the sites possibly were linked to a cult involving fire and liquids while Sarmatian tamgas on several sculptures indicate the presence of a Sarmatian population at the Ustyurt sanctuaries. Keywords Kazakhstan, Sarmatians, Massagetae, sanctuary, statue, rite Introduction A wide belt of steppes and deserts, often referred to as the “Great Eurasian Steppe Belt,” extends across the whole of Eurasia. This belt is bounded by the taiga (forest) to the north and by inaccessible mountain ranges and plateaus to the south, and acted as a natural corridor for the migrations of large groups of people and their animals. The history of the last four millennia has revealed that nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes made regular use of the steppe corridor for latitudinal and meridional movements. The archaeological sites of the Eurasian steppes have been well known for over one hundred years, yet some have received more extensive study than others. Planned, large-scale excavations have occurred in the steppes of the northern maritime zone of the Caucasus, in the Volga and Ural regions, and in the desert zones around the Aral sea (Davis-Kimball et al 1995). Mongolia, northern and central Kazakhstan, Turk- Valery S. Olkhovskiy Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia 33 menistan, and the majority of Central Asia have been studied to a lesser extent (Vainberg et al 1992). Moreover, the rocky and sandy deserts between the Caspian and Aral Seas have remained very much a “blank spot” on the archaeological map of western Asia. This region is of great importance because of its strategic position; it provides the shortest and most direct route from the north (the Volga region, the Urals, and northern Kazakhstan) to the south (the agricultural oases of Khorezm, Margiana, and Bactria). Moreover, these deserts also intersect with the Iranian and Afghanistanian plateaus. We know that during the Middle Ages one of the Great Silk Roads passed through the Aral-Caspian “corridor,” although it is highly probable that this route had been used during much earlier periods. The earliest scientific research of the Aral-Caspian region resulted in the identification of a large number of archaeological sites ranging in date from the Neolithic to the Late Middle Ages (Yanshin and Litvinskyi 1963; Kamalov 1978; Samashev et al 1997). Historic sources indicate that nomadic tribes of Central Asia and western Kazakhstan played a significant role in the establishment and the later collapse of two great first millennium BC empires–the Achaemenid Persian and that of Alexander of Macedonia. For this reason the ethnocultural identification of each archaeological site, and its incorporation into the context of world history, is today of great importance (Mandelshtam and Gorbunova 1992). This paper reviews a group of cultic sites dating from the 4 th – 2 nd centuries BC that were recently discovered in the Aral- Caspian region, Republic of Kazakhstan. Their chronological and ethnocultural attributes will be presented, and the theory that these sites are related to Alexander the Great’s Asian military campaign will be discussed. Environment The Ustyurt Plateau occupies a large proportion of the Aral- Caspian region, and is an extremely interesting geological area covering 200,000 sq. km, now divided between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The plateau rises much like an island approximately 300–500 m above the surrounding territory. Its boundaries are clearly marked by steep precipices, which are only possible to climb to in specific locations (Fig. 1). The eastern area of the Ustyurt Plateau is in close proximation to the Aral
Page 1: Part II Archaeological Excavations
Page 5 and 6: A dagger for both hunting and battl
Page 7 and 8: the powerful influence of the Helle
Page 9 and 10: Fig. 1. Map of the Aral-Caspian Reg
Page 11 and 12: Fig. 3. Konai Sanctuary. An example
Page 13 and 14: Excavations of the Aksai Kurgans in
Page 15 and 16: thetically described. The undisturb
Page 17 and 18: here from the Early through Middle
Page 19 and 20: 49 Excavations of the Aksai Kurgans
Page 21 and 22: 51 Excavations of the Aksai Kurgans
Page 23 and 24: Figure 6. Kurgan 6 with 3 burials:
Page 25 and 26: Figure 8. Kurgan 8: 1- Plan of Kurg
Page 27 and 28: Figure 10. Figures 1-8- Middle Sarm
Page 29 and 30: Figure 12. Early Catacomb Burial 16
Page 31 and 32: Figure 14. Kurgan 9: 1- burial 5 (u
Page 33 and 34: Burials and Settlements at the Eura
Page 35 and 36: Prygovsky Archaeological Complex Th
Page 37 and 38: Clay vessels from the excavations n
Page 39 and 40: cultural sequences that were brough
Page 41 and 42: Fig. 1. Location of the sites that
Page 43 and 44: Fig. 6. Prygovo settlement.some art
Page 45 and 46: The Environment of Iron Age Burials
Page 47 and 48: Malakazakhbaievo site during the Ir
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The Kazakh-American TalgarProject A
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aerial photographs reveal that ther
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Table 2. Counts of kurgan locations
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The Beiram Mound A Nomadic Cultic S
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kilometers adjacent to the high roa
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in the region. The thousands of oth
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Tatar, M. 1992. Through the Sayan M
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Table 5. Central Pit, Levels 7 to 1
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Fig. 3. Beiram Mound in the foregro
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101 The Beiram Mound: A Nomadic Cul
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Fig. 10 (opposite page). Artifacts
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Fig. 17. Two iron slag deposits wer
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