Derbisali II – the Late Sarmatian complex in Western Kazakhstan

Abstract

Western Kazakhstan in the 2^nd–4^th centuries AD became a territory of settlement of large tribal associations, carriers of the Late Sarmatian archaeological culture. The main source testifying to the formation and development of the Late Sarmatian culture here are numerous archaeological sites, most of them forming large burial grounds. This article introduces the materials of the Derbisali II burial ground, located on the watershed of the Kiyil River, a left-bank tributary of the Uil River (Ural River basin). The analysis of burial rites and objects of material culture allowed us to establish that the studied objects belong to the Late Sarmatian epoch and are dated within the framework of the 2^nd–4^th centuries AD. In the course of the work it was established that the burial ground, along with burial mounds, includes ‘dumbbell-shaped’ structures and ‘sanctuaries’, the origin and functional purpose of which remains open. Burial pits were recorded under almost all the objects. Most of the burial pits were simple earthen pits, and in one case, small niches with burial offerings were documented. The burials are individual, with northern orientation of the buried. Objects of material culture are represented by various categories of finds – a long iron sword without a cross-guard or pommel, bronze fibulae, bronze buckle, 14-sided beads, etc. Based on the results of the paleoanthropological analysis, it can be noted that the studied materials find analogies among synchronous Late Sarmatian series from the Southern Urals and Western Kazakhstan. Circular-type intentional artificial cranial deformation was recorded on all crania. Taken together, they are attributed to hypermorphic Caucasoid. One skull combines both Caucasoid and Mongoloid features. The longitudinal parameters and robustness of the postcranial skeleton bones are assessed as average.