Excavations of Altyntobe burial ground

The detachment of the Chimkent Pedagogical Institute continued excavations of the Altyntobe burial ground, located 15 km southwest of Chimkent (Bugun district) on the left floodplain terrace of the Akbulak River and numbering more than 300 mounds with earthen mounds with a diameter of 5-25 m and a height of 0.5 to 2.5 m. Of the eight excavated mounds, burials (collective) were found in four. The catacombs were located outside or at the edge of the mound, at a depth of 3.3 to 5.5 m from the level of the ancient surface. Two or four people were buried in them.

Pottery, weapons and jewelry represent the grave goods. Typical vessels are a pot, a jug, a mug and a bowl; their number in the burial varies from three to five. They were placed at the feet, at the head and in the pelvic area. The dishes are covered with brown, red and cherry shades; individual vessels are filled. A characteristic element of decor is fine corrugation. Also found were iron knives, apparently with a wooden handle, small glassy paste beads, and ring-shaped copper earrings. The inventory of burials finds analogies in the monuments of the Kaunchin culture of the middle reaches of the Syr Darya and dated to the 1st-3rd centuries.