Analysis of archaeozoological materials of sites of the Kangyu period (Adapted from Burnooktyabrskoye and Bakatobe 2022)

Abstract

The article considers the archaeozoological materials found in the sites of Burnooktyabrskoye and Bakatobe (I-IV centuries AD), located in the Talas Valley, studied in 2022. The purpose of the research work is to conduct a laboratory analysis of the archaeozoological materials of ancient settlements and hillforts in the southern regions of Kazakhstan and to study them in comparison with the materials of sites of a similar chronological period in neighboring regions. Animal bones were studied in accordance with archaeozoological methods and the composition of the archaeofauna, types of domestic animals, age characteristics, the composition of elements and parts of the skeleton were determined. Laboratory analysis analyzed 740 animal bones found in the ancient sites of the Talas Valley, of which 95.5% (707 bones) were identified to the species. The main place in the economy of the population of the settlement is occupied by small cattle, in second place - cattle, and horse bones are in third place. Among the osteological materials, a small number of camels, donkey and dog bones were found. From the fauna of wild animals the following were identified: large ungulates (kulan and deer), small ungulates (roe deer, jeyran, argali, saiga), predators (fox), lagomorphs (Lepus sp.), rodent bones (gopher). The results of the study were compared with the archaeozoological data of the sites located in the valleys of Shu, Talas, Syr Darya, Amu Darya and Tashkent oasis. Based on the materials of the settlement in the Teris-Asa valley, the dynamics of the development of cattle breeding, types of pets and hunting directions in the Kanguy and Early Turkic eras were analyzed.