Archaeological research at the Kuraily-asar burial ground in 2024

Abstract

The article examines funerary structures of the Jetiasar culture in the Eastern Aral Sea region. In 2024, investigations were conducted by the Aral Sea Archaeological Expedition of the Margulan Institute of Archaeology at the Kuraily‑asar burial ground, located in the Karmakshy District of the Kyzylorda Region. Particular attention was paid to kurgans Nos. 5, 6, and 7. All the structures share an identical construction. Each kurgan is surrounded by a ditch with causeways on the northern and eastern sides, with a burial pit located at the center. In kurgan No. 5, the skeletal bones were found scattered, whereas in kurgan No. 6 the buried individual was laid in an extended supine position, oriented to the north. In kurgan No. 7, no skeletal remains were recorded. In the burial pit of kurgan No. 5, remains of a sacrificed sheep (skull and postcranial bones) were identified, indicating the presence of a sacrificial ritual. Taking into account the lambing season in the Syr Darya valley (February–April), it can be assumed that the burial rite was performed in late spring. Based on the analysis of the burial assemblage and comparison with previously investigated kurgans, the kurgans are dated to the 2nd–4th centuries AD.