Chronology and cultural affiliation of the early burials of the Tazhegul burial ground

Research Article

Abstract

This paper introduces materials obtained during scientific research at the Tazhegul archaeological complex. The complex is located near the village of Abylaykhan in the Burabay district of the Akmola region. A topographic description of the valley is provided, which contains numerous sites from various periods – from the Early and Late Bronze Ages to the modern period. This paper aims to highlight the research findings on monuments dating back to the initial stage of the complex's formation. The methods and materials section describes the process and results of the study of two objects: stone enclosure No. 1 and a small extension to enclosure No. 2. The first site is located in the lower, northern part of the valley, while the second was discovered in the upper southern part, in the stratigraphic layer beneath the Kazakh Kystau. Radiocarbon dating of the sites yielded dates ranging from the 4th to the 3rd millennia BC. The literature review and discussion section provides a comparative typological analysis of similar sites studied in other regions of Kazakhstan. This allowed the authors to hypothesize about the unified processes of cultural genesis that occurred across much of Kazakhstan during the Early Bronze Age. The article focuses on Early Bronze Age sites in the Burabay mountain forest massif of Northern Kazakhstan, the materials from which are important for addressing certain issues concerning the origins of archaeological cultures of this period. New materials, the first ever discovered in the study area, reveal evidence of burial structures and a burial rite similar to the Yamnaya culture. The authors document and analyze cultural layers of different periods within the complex. Monuments with characteristics of the Yamnaya culture are overlain by a cultural layer of the Nura-Fyodorovo archaeological culture. This paper presents information on reliably identified sites of the Nura-Fyodorovo archaeological culture located near the Tazhygul complex. The discussion section provides a comparative analysis of the characteristic features of the Yamnaya archaeological culture and the Nura-Fyodorovo culture sites that succeeded it. In conclusion, the researchers formulate and express the concept that the formation of regional groups of the Nura-Fyodorovo culture could have occurred on the basis of the Yamnaya culture monuments.