Rare 7,000-year-old burials discovered in Kazakhstan’s Kostanay region
Archaeologists have uncovered three rare Neolithic burials in Kazakhstan’s Kostanay region, a discovery researchers say could rank among the most significant archaeological finds in recent years, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The burials, tentatively dated to the 7th-5th millennia BC, were discovered by the Turgay archaeological expedition of the Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University during excavations in the Auliekol district.
This year’s fieldwork is focused on three archaeological sites – Shili, Sulukol and Buruktal – as part of a research project funded by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The expedition includes archaeologists from the university’s laboratory, history majors, and volunteers.
According to archaeologist Irina Shevnina, scientists made a unique discovery during the excavations.
“We are researching Neolithic sites of the Mahandzhar culture dating to the 7th-5th millennia BC. Alongside traditional finds of stone and bone tools, ceramics and jewelry, we discovered three burials of a child and two adults beneath the floors of ancient dwellings,” she said.
Shevnina noted that Stone Age burials are exceptionally rare, especially those from the Neolithic period.
“For Kazakhstan, particularly the Kostanay region, this is something of a sensation. Detailed research still lies ahead, but we can already state with confidence that these are indeed Stone Age burials. There can be no doubt,” noted Irina Shevnina.
Another major achievement of the expedition was the discovery of Mahandzhar culture dwellings. Until recently, archaeologists had identified only ancient campsites, while the structures of the dwellings themselves remained unknown. Since last year, excavations at the Shili site have revealed, for the first time, semi-subterranean houses of the Mahandzhar culture.
The burials were discovered beneath the floors of these ancient dwellings.
According to researchers, this burial practice was also observed among several ancient cultures in neighboring regions, including Central Asia, where the deceased were buried beneath the floors of homes during the Stone Age.
Excavations at the sites continue. Archaeologists will further examine the remains to determine their characteristics and collect new data on the lives of Neolithic communities in the Turgay region.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that archaeologists had uncovered evidence of a major Golden Horde era structure at the site of the Zhantai tract in northern Kazakhstan.
