Archaeological Research at the Kuraïly Asar Burial Site
26 Aug 2024
As part of the PSC project "The Hunnic-Sarmatian Epoch in the History of Kazakhstan: Interdisciplinary Research, Analysis, and Reconstruction" (project lead Ongar A.) under the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Priaral detachment of the A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology (expedition leader Tazhekeev A.A.) continues its research on the monuments of the Zhetyasar culture.
In 2023, a group of burial mounds near the Kuraïly Asar settlement was chosen as the site for archaeological excavations. The burial site, which consists of hundreds of mounds, is divided into three large groups. The largest of these is Group No. 1, located to the east of the settlement, in the bed of the Eski Darya River. Group No. 2 extends along the southern and western parts of the settlement. Unlike the first two, the mounds of Group No. 3 are situated at a greater distance from the fortified walls of the settlement. This group can be further divided into two parts: the first (larger) part is located northeast of the settlement, and the second (smaller) part is to the south.
In the current field season, archaeological excavations are being conducted in the second part of Group No. 3, which is located 500 meters south of the Kuraïly Asar settlement, and cover 3 mounds and 1 crypt.
