Excavations of the Kozhay I settlement

The Turgai expedition of the Kostanay Pedagogical Institute continued excavations at the settlement of Kozhay I on the right bank of the Bala-Tersakkan river.

For three years (1068 sq. m), the remains of 15 structures and 81 pits were found. The cultural layer (0.4-1.2 m) is saturated with stone artifacts, pottery fragments, and animal bones. The foundation pits of the structures, as a rule, are round in shape, 4x5 m in size, deepened into the mainland up to 0.5 m. The settlement probably burned repeatedly, as a result of which thin carbonaceous layers were deposited in the cultural layer. The most interesting structure is 7. It represents the remains of at least two dwellings that existed at different (within the Late Eneolithic) time. Initially, the dwelling had a subrectangular shape, 12x7 m in size. An ash pan 0.6–0.7 m in diameter and up to 0.15 m deep was found at its bottom. In the southern part, a transition to structure 8 was noted. Sometime after this dwelling burned down, in its place another was built, but already rounded and smaller (6.5 m). When clearing the foundation pit for the second structure, the discharge was carried out into the eastern half of the original pit, where a thick platform of animal bones was formed. At the same time, apparently, the transition from the 7th to the 8th building was completely closed. A thick layer of bones is also baked in the transition. Perhaps, at that time or somewhat earlier, a copper (?) forged puncture (depth 0.9 m) got into the passage.

The ruins of large vessels of elongated proportions with a slightly swollen body were found in the structures. The bottom is sharp. The neck is short, slightly bent outwards. The ornament is applied with a notched or rope stamp. Of the pattern elements, the most common are triangles, zigzags, columns. About a quarter of the vessels are not ornamented. Most tools were made from flakes (points, knives, points, scrapers, scrapers, etc.). Blade tools make up about 3% of the flake and blade tools. Lots of large chopping tools and abrasives. Crafts made of bone and shells were found. The settlement collected a large number of animal bones. According to the definition of L. L. Gaiduchenko, bones of a horse predominate, quite a lot of saiga, bones of a kulan, roe deer, bull, wolf, corsac and bird were also found. The settlement belongs to the Tersek circle of monuments. It can be preliminarily dated to the 3rd millennium BC.

In the central part of the excavation, nine children's burials of the Bronze Age were unearthed. Grave pits were not fixed in plan and sections. The burials were let into the cultural layer of the Eneolithic settlement to a depth of 0.2–0.4 m. The dead lay on their side in a crouched position with their heads to the southwest. As a rule, one or two vessels stood in the heads. Judging by the ceramics, the burial ground dates back to the Alakul time.