Late Bronze Age Begazy-Dandybai culture of central Kazakhstan: Peripheral cultural connections and the problem of cultural roots

Begazy-Dandybai Culture originated and developed in Central Kazakhstan, the in Late Bronze Age. Begazy-Dandybai Culture complexes may have been mainly examined into three sequences as the temporary settlements, simple burials and mausoleum type tombs. The mausoleums are the elite burials complexes indicated to a strong social organization. The Group-I ware are common in the mausoleum type tombs. The Group-I ware are related to the Sayan-Altai area and its Karasuk Culture. It is understood that they are special ritual ware made with care. Group-II ware associated with the Alekseyev Culture and its late stage of Dongal phase type ware coming from the temporary settlements and also simple burials are the majority. Group-II ware which consist of kitchen ware for daily use, represent to the late phase of the Andronovo Culture. It caused some different opinions about the describing of Begazy-Dandybai Culture. According to our definitions, the existance of majority of Group-I ware in the mausoleums which are the elite burial structures, can be explained by the Karasuk migrations. Nevertheless, such mausoleum tombs are unique to Begazy-Dandybai Culture in Eurasia. In this case, the Begazy-Dandybai should be described as an original cultural formation, influenced by Karasuk culture. Group-II ware indicate the subcomponent of the culture. Relations between the Begazy-Dandybai Culture and Early Iron Age Scythian Cultures so called Tasmola Culture in Central Kazakhstan are important. This shows that Begazy-Dandybai ethno-cultural feature have been transmitted to the Early Iron Age. Some cultural connections extending to ethnographic periods allow us to be associated Begazy-Dandybai Culture with Turkic-speaking peoples of North Asia.