Research in Northern Kazakhstan

The North Kazakhstan expedition of the Petropavlovsk Pedagogical Institute worked in many regions of northern Kazakhstan, in the Kurgan and Tyumen regions.

Particular attention is paid to the protection excavations of the settlements Botai on the Iman-Burluk river, Roschinskoye on the Zhaman-Tuz lake and Balandino on the Ishim river. Three excavations unearthed the Roshchinskoye settlement about 172 sq. m (the thickness of the cultural layer is 0.65-0.70 m). A number of household and pillar pits were recorded. A significant mass of finds was found in clusters. There are two chronological complexes. Early (Neolithic) is represented mainly by blanks of products from plates, their cross-section.

Jasper-quartzites of various shades were used as raw materials. Cores of prismatic, wedge-shaped, pencil-shaped, and conical shapes have been found. Flake items are represented by scrapers, single arrowheads, piercers, and knives. The collection of the late (Eneolithic) complex is characterized by the distribution of tools made of low-quality coarse-grained quartzite: side-scrapers, scrapers, knives, scrapers, arrowheads, spears, dots. The bulk of the finds is flakes. Pottery is not numerous, highly fragmented, dates back to the Eneolithic - Late Bronze Age. At the Botai settlement, two excavations were laid in the coastal, collapsing part. Excavation XVII (144 sq. m.) unearthed the remains of three dwellings 45, 46, 47. Excavation XVIII (464 sq. m.) was laid in the southwestern part of the site, along the slope of the coast. Here, 11 dwellings were unearthed on six different horizons. The saturated stratigraphic situation is explained by repeated reconstructions and the construction of new structures in a short chronological period. Dwellings vary in size and differ functionally. The inventory from both excavations is represented by numerous flint tools, bone items, and ceramics. We note a series of chisels, apparently made by one master, from the tubular bones of a horse, carefully processed, polished, found together.