ATYRAU, KAZAKHSTAN—According to a report in The Astana Times, excavation of the Karabau-2 mound in western Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region revealed nine Sarmatian burials dated to the fifth century B.C. Archaeologist Marat Kasenov said that seven of the graves, some of which contained multiple sets of human remains, were preserved. More than 1,000 artifacts were recovered from the burials, Kasenov added, including gold jewelry decorated with images of leopards, bears, tigers, and antelopes; weapons; ceramics; and two rare wooden bowls. Archaeologists excavating at the Karakuduk-1 and Karakuduk-2 mounds, which are located about six miles away from the Karabau-2 mound, uncovered iron and bronze weapons, household items, silver pictograms, and two touchstones with gold handles thought to have been used by the Sarmatians to test objects for gold content. Galamat Barzarbayev of the Atyrau Museum said the excavation team also found clothing appliqués made of gold and a gold bracelet shaped like a mountain leopard. “These discoveries challenge previous beliefs that the Atyrau region was only on the edge of the Sarmatian civilization,” said Kasenov. “The results suggest that the Caspian Lowland, the Zhaiyk River, and the area near the Zhem River were central to the Sarmatian empire,” he concluded. To read about genetic analysis of a Sarmatian man who was buried in Cambridgeshire, England, go to "Ancient DNA Revolution: A Stranger in a Strange Land."
