MAIASP. 2025. No. 21 Tatyana Loshakova (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Alexander Panichkin (Almaty, Kazakhstan) METAL OF THE TOKSANBAY SETTLEMENT (NORTH-EASTERN CASPIAN REGION) This paper presents the first analytical results on the metal artifacts from the Bronze Age settlement of Toksanbay. Prolonged fieldwork in the area has yielded a collection of metal items, though all specimens were recovered as surface finds from the slopes of the butte where the settlement is situated. One room revealed traces of metal smelting, including a hearth furnace, crucibles of various preservation states, and metal prills, yet no finished implements. Microstructural examination revealed that the items were made of low-alloy, single-phase bronze with abundant non-metallic inclusions. Hot-working temperatures ranged between 750°C and 600°C. The main technological sequence involved hot forging combined with short annealing, with evidence of repeated thermo-mechanical processing. This assemblage reflects a stable technological tradition characteristic of advanced metallurgical centers of the Late Bronze Age in the Ural—Kazakhstan region, where alternating cycles of forging and annealing were used to enhance plasticity and remove structural defects. Key words: West Kazakhstan, Ustyurt, Toksanbay settlement, Bronze Age, metal structure, thermo-mechanical processing, low-alloy bronze. |