MAIASP. 2024. No. 18

Ruslan Buranbayev (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Ramazan Zhanuzak (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Ruslan Sherbayev (Almaty, Kazakhstan)

Early turkic burials from the Samsy site: burial rite and paleoanthropological analysis (shu-ile interfluve)

DOI: 10.53737/2713-2021.2024.22.90.008

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Pages: 136—164

In 2018—2019, excavations were conducted on five kurgans dating to the Turkic period (8th—10th centuries AD) at the Samsy archaeological site in the Shu-Ili interfluve. Seven burials were studied in total: four kurgans revealed individual catacomb (No. 1, 3) and niche burials with horses (No. 4, 17). Another kurgan (No. 2) contained two niche burials conducted according to Muslim customs (8th—10th centuries AD), along with a later intrusive burial. In the first burial (kurgan 2), a rather rare bronze mirror was discovered, with the closest parallels originating from the Tian Shan region and Sogdia. Radiocarbon dating, the artifacts found, and the nature of the burial rites suggest that the kurgans date to the 8th—10th centuries AD. Based on cranial analysis, it is concluded that the population associated with this burial ground was heterogeneous. The series includes skulls displaying both Caucasoid and Mongoloid features. The osteological constitution suggests that the postcranial skeletons examined, overall, exhibit the “steppe” morphological type. The differences in burial practices and physical appearance of the individuals reflect active processes of mixing between Mongoloid and Caucasoid components of local and foreign ethnic groups. The data provide insight into the diverse anthropological composition of the people buried at Samsy and their connections, based on burial goods, with the populations of the Tian Shan, Sogd, and Tokharistan. The diversity in the Turkic anthropological composition is linked to their mixing with representatives of other racial types along their migratory routes, as confirmed by other researchers.

Key words: archaeology, paleoanthropology, Early Turkic burials, catacombs, niche burials, burial rite.

Received  August 20, 2024

Accepted for publication September 24, 2024.

About the authors:

Buranbayev Ruslan (Almaty, Kazakhstan). Researcher, Margulan Institute of Archaeology.

E-mail: b_ruslan@inbox.ru

Zhanuzak Ramazan (Almaty, Kazakhstan). Head of the Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Margulan Institute of Archaeology.

E-mail: rzhanuzak04@gmail. com

Sherbayev Ruslan (Almaty, Kazakhstan). Scientific and Experimental Practical Archаeology “NEPA” LLP.

E-mail: sherbaev_75@mail.ru