Surveys in the northeastern Caspian region

The Volga-Ural expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences continued its work in the Guryev and Mangyshlak regions. A significant exploration route has been passed from Ganyushkino to Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

In Ryn Peski, 75 km northeast of Ganyushkino (20 sq. km), collected material from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.

Excavations continued on the burned-out Golden Horde house of the 14th century at the Saraychik settlement. A clay hollow thick-walled ball with three holes was found on a charred reed roof. The ball served as an incendiary projectile. The burnt building belongs to the first building horizon of the middle of the 14th century. A new house of the second building horizon was soon built above it. Then, in the 15th century, after the desolation of this section of the settlement, a Muslim cemetery was located here.

In the sands of Taisoigan, 150 km northeast of Guryev, extensive areas of scattered dunes were explored, on which monuments of the Stone, Bronze, and Middle Ages were found.

Near Old Beineu, Beineussky district, Mangyshlak region excavations were made of three mounds through which a wing of a stone corral for hunting ungulates passed. The barrows date back to the 10th-11th centuries AD. Thus, the corral was built no earlier than the 11th century AD.

The 12th century fortress, built on a cape jutting out into a deep ravine, was explored near Old Beineu. A similar fortress was opened near the Shetpe station in the Mangyshlak region.

In the sands of Sam, an area of ​​4x4 km was surveyed, materials from the Stone, Bronze, and Early Iron Ages were found.

Excavations continued on two sanctuaries of the Sarmatian era on the Ustyurt plateau (The total excavation area is 75 sq. m). Found new sculptures. On one of the willows, there are tamga signs. Near the burial mounds included in the complex of the sanctuary, ring-shaped stone calculations, stone sacrificial dishes were found. The largest sculptures reached 3.2 m in height. At least three types of statues have been noted. About 23 sculptures were found near the barrow group Baite I. Near the barrow group Baite III, located 7 km south of Baite I, there were 40 sculptures. Both sanctuaries' complexes were located on rectangular squares in front of the largest burial mound in each group. The sculptures are dated according to the images of the 3rd century BC weapons.

In the Akmysh tract near the settlement of Kzyl-Kala in the Mangystau district of the Mangyshlak region excavated mound 12 m in diameter, 0.8 m high, with a stone ring lining around the grave pit. The grave was robbed in antiquity, no items were found. The mound is part of a group in which a mound was excavated in 1982, also robbed in antiquity, but yielding finds from the Alanian period. 15 km northeast of the village of Shetpe explored the area of ​​ancient copper mining. Excavations have been carried out at the site of the accumulation of slags. No copper-smelting furnaces were found; among the slags, one piece was found, to which the wall of a molded vessel of the 12th century was welded. There is reason to believe that copper was smelted from ore in vessels by the fire method using such high-calorie fuel as saxaul.

A caravanserai has been further explored in the settlement of Ketis on the northern outskirts of the village of Fort Shevchenko. A coin found in the building's heating system dates it back to the 14th century. A sterile layer separates the caravanserai from the layer of the 12th century. Obviously, in the pre-Mongolian time, there was a settlement here.

Exploration work was carried out near the village of Senek and further in the sands of Kyrypzharyk for more than 200 km in previously unexplored areas. A large amount of material has been collected from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.