New data on the horse equipment of the early Saka period

(based on the materials of the burial mound no. 1 of the Akzhailau burial ground, East Kazakhstan)

Abstract

The article introduces the results of the study of the mound no. 1 of the Akzhailau burial ground into scientific circulation. The aim of the study is to reconstruct the functional elements of horse equipment based on the archaeological findings. The novelty lies in the fact that for the first time materials are published, systematization is carried out and a detailed analysis of all the details that make up the complex of equipment for a riding horse of the Saka period is carried out. During the investigation of the monument, stratigraphic studies of the burial structure were performed, revealing its main structural elements (e.g., a stone shell, a tombstone structure). Aerial photos, orthophotos and topographic plans of the site were made. At the entrance to the burial space, a treasure was discovered containing numerous gold-foil-adorned horse equipment items. Of particular interest among them are objects of horse decoration, such as pendants, linings, bridle stripes, saddle belts, and the saddle itself. Through technical and typological analysis, which involved determining the functional and structural qualities of objects and subsequently classifying them, a graphic reconstruction of riding horse equipment was carried out. A comparative typological analysis of the finds revealed a circle of analogies that closely match morphological and technical characteristics, suggesting a connection to the Early Saka society. Taking into account the design features of the kurgan structure, as well as the functional and constructive characteristics of horse equipment artifacts, the studied monument is estimated to date back to the second half of the 7^th–6^th century BC.