Araltobe kurgan explained

Araltobe barrow
Map Type:Continental Asia#Kazakhstan
Map Size:300
Relief:yes
Coordinates:47.1219°N 54.7178°W
Type:Kurgan

The Araltobe kurgan (Ru: Аралтобе курган) is a burial ground found near Araltobe, Zhylyoi District, in northwestern Kazakhstan, thought to belong to a member of the post-Saka Sarmatian culture, and dated to the 3rd-2nd century BCE.

The mound (Zhylyoi "Araltobe" necropolis 1-mound) was excavated in 1999 in the Atyraw region by archaeologists Zeinulla Samashev and Zhumash Dzhetybaeva. They found the remains of a "Golden Man", who presents some parallels with similar "Golden men" found in Issyk kurgan or the kurgan at Shilikty.[1]

Long swords with T-shaped pommel and long swords with mushroom-shaped pommel were discovered during the excavation. These are types of "Scythian swords" usually found in the Scythian/Saka kurgans in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but also known from Sauromations burials as in tumulus no. 3 of the Onaibulak graveyard, tumulus no. 1 and 2 of the Mortik graveyard, or tumulus no. 1 of the Araltobe graveyard.[2]

About 400 gold objects were discovered in the tomb.[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Beisenov . Arman . Tasmola: A Ray of Gold, glittering in the Steppe. Samarkand. 2020. . Самарканд . 2020 . 145 .
  2. Sizdikov . Bagdaulet S. . Seraliyev . Ali A. . Swords from Sauromato–Sarmatian Burial Mounds of Western Kazakhstan Analyzed . Oriental Studies . 26 December 2022 . 15 . 5 . 1110–1125 . 10.22162/2619-0990-2022-63-5-1110-1125 . free .
  3. Andreeva . Petya V. . Glittering Bodies: The Politics of Mortuary Self-Fashioning in Eurasian Nomadic Cultures (700 BCE-200 BCE) . Fashion Theory . 23 February 2023 . 27 . 2 . 10 . 10.1080/1362704X.2021.1991133 . 240162003 .