Exploration in the Turgai region

The Turgai Regional Museum of History and Local Lore and the Department of the Society for the Protection of Monuments surveyed Lake Akkol, south of the Dzhangildy district of the Turgai region. Seven new deposits have been discovered.

Points Akkol 1-3 are located on the western, 4-8 m high, steep bank of Akkol Lake. The Akkol 1 site collected: knife-like blades, flakes, core, and coarse ceramics with an admixture of sand. One fragment of the neck is ornamented with broad horizontal stripes, probably made with fingers. At the Akkol 2 site, undecorated pottery with an admixture of sand in the test and one retouched flake were found. At Akkol 3, seven fragments of undecorated pottery with an admixture of fine sand in the dough were collected. The outer surface of some pieces is polished.

The Akkol 4 settlement is located on a cape that extends far into the lake. Three depressions 20–25 m in diameter were noted on its slight soddy surface. Unornamented ceramics were collected along the edges of the depressions. Coarse black sand and shell were used as impurities in the test. There are traces of smoothing on the inner surface of many fragments.

At Akkol 5, located on the slope of the southern shore of Akkol Lake, several inexpressive fragments of ceramics and two knife blades were collected.

The Akkol 6 settlement is located on the slope of the remnant at the base of a long and narrow cape. Cultural remains, represented by animal bones and ceramics, were found on ​400 sq. m. The surface of Ceramics is smooth. The sand was used as an admixture. On the inner surface of some fragments, there are traces of smoothing. The pottery is decorated with triangular impressions, a smooth stamp (triangles, a horizontal zigzag), and tracing. One fragment is ornamented with broad horizontal stripes applied by fingers. The necks of the vessels are bent outward. The bottoms are flat.

On the eastern shore of the lake Small Akkol (located 1 km west of Lake Akkol) a fragment of a ceramic stucco handle and a fragment of the vessel wall were found. In the Esil district, on the bank of a dried-up riverbed, 17 km east of the village of Orlovka, a site was discovered (two scrapers, flakes, and chips). There were also four burial mounds with an earth embankment 20–25 m in diameter and 0.2–0.3 m high.