Work

Bone Carving Among Early Iron Age Nomads of Eastern Kazakhstan: The Case of Berel

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study addresses carved bone artifacts crafted by Early Iron Age nomads of Eastern Kazakhstan as compared to those from more easterly areas of the Altai-Sayan Highland. A large sample of carved horn details of harness and bridle from a horse burial in mound 36 at the Berel cemetery, Altai, is described with a view to revealing the peculiarities of this craft among the Early Iron Age nomads of Kazakhstan. A comprehensive analysis (structural, morphological, and technological) suggests that all the artifacts were manufactured using two types of horn plate as blanks. The collection evidences a variety of techniques for processing antlers. Details of bridle and harness, made of various materials, attest to mobility, rationality, and cyclicity in Early Iron Age nomadic societies of Eurasia.

Source: Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.3.131-139

Author: A. P. Borodovsky

Institutions: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography

Language: English

Topic: Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W4414990458

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