Research in the Naurzum Reserve

The expedition of the Kostanay Pedagogical Institute and the Museum of Local Lore excavated two sites on the territory of the Naurzum Reserve, 0.5 km west of the village of Naurzum. They are located on opposite banks of a narrow channel of Solenoye Ozero Lake. A significant part of the cultural layer of the Solenoye Ozero I site has been destroyed (400 sq.m). The stratigraphy is as follows: under the dark gray layer of modern soil (0.2–1.2 m) lies a layer of yellow sand (0.2–0.8 m), and below is a gray layer of buried soil containing finds (0. 2-0.3 m). It is covered with yellow sand. At 4 m from the previously excavated structure, a household pit 0.9 m in diameter and about 0.8 m deep was found, filled with animal bones and flint products. At the edge of the pit, a collapse of a round-bottomed vessel was found, ornamented over the entire surface with horizontal lines from impressions, a jagged stamp.

The ceramics of the site has an admixture of sand, vegetation, and often talc in the dough. It is ornamented in the receding technique by tracing, impressions of a jagged stamp. Usually there is a vertical articulation of the ornament. Among the tools, scrapers on flakes predominate—many arrowheads. At the Solenoye Ozero site, about 200 sq. m the following stratigraphy was revealed: above - a layer of loose sand (0.2-0.4 m), below it - a dark gray soil layer (0.2-0.4 m), below - yellow sand (0.2-0.4 m). 0.7 m), then a gray layer with finds (0.2–0.7 m), which is underlain by yellow or white sand. Blades predominate in the flint collection. There are plates with side faces retouched (including those with a blunt back), scrapers, plates with beveled and directly retouched ends. Polished tools are represented by fragments, among them - part of the "iron". The vessels are sharp-bottomed, with a relatively high neck, bent outwards. The inflection at the point of transition of the neck into the body is well pronounced. The pottery is decorated mainly along the neck with impressions of a jagged stamp. The horizontal and vertical articulation of the ornament is noted.