Identification of narrative sources with archaeological data (medieval settlement Bytygay)

Abstract

The article discusses and analyzes historical information and archaeological
data on historical and cultural monuments dating back to the Middle Ages
and located in the Tengiz-Korgalzhin microdistrict. All archival sources are
dominated by information about Bytygay.
The functional purpose of the Bytygay2
monument has always caused
discussion. Some scientists considered Bytygay a full-fledged medieval
settlement, while others considered it a necropolis. Archaeological excavations
carried out on the monument showed that in the vicinity of Bytygay, there are
numerous caravanserais, the remains of mausoleums built from simple burnt
and decorated bricks. During the 2021-2022 field seasons, entire production
centers were identified, specialized heat engineering facilities designed for
drying, firing bricks and melting glaze. The Bytygay monument seems to
be a complex historical and cultural object, which includes a settlement, a
necropolis and production centers. The lower date of Bytygay refers to the XIIXIII centuries. And new materials from the burial complexes raise the upper
date of the monument to the XIV-XV centuries.