Berel kurgans in the context of the Iron Age of Eastern Kazakhstan

The given thesis deals with the Early Iron Age kurgans of East Kazakhstan province, which is an important region in terms of Pre-Islamic Turkic History. The Early Iron Age kurgans of the region were studied within the scope of Mayemer and Pazyryk Cultures. Firstly, the data of the burial grounds which dates back to the Mayemer period, that is, to the 9th -7th centuries BCE, when a saddle horse's burial practices emerged, were evaluated. Following that, the archaeological data of the Berel burial ground that is the main focus of the research and dates back to the late 4th-early 3rd century BCE were examined. Within the scope of the research, the architectural features of the Berel kurgans were examined, and the finds were classified according to their functions. The majority of the finds consist of ornaments for horse trappings made of organic materials, which have survived thanks to the permafrost layers found in the 10th and 11th kurgans of Berel. The main zoomorphic ornaments of horse harnesses and clothes were defined, and the imaginative and stylistic features of the figures were examined with a systematic approach. In addition, handicrafts and the main economic activities of the former Berel inhabitants were determined. Then the ethnocultural identity of the nomadic communities that left the Berel kurgans behind has been discussed and their similarities or differences with the Mayemer period communities have been revealed. Within the scope of the study, the data of 31 kurgans dated to the Pazyryk and Xiongnu periods were statistically analyzed and important findings regarding the architecture, social order and structure of the period were obtained.