| Abstract [eng] |
Geoglyphs of Turgai are unique archaeological structures not present anywhere else in Central Asia in such concentration. They date to the beginning of the Iron Age in the Eurasian steppe, which was a time of important socio-economic changes that affected all aspects of the human lifestyle. The large size and number of the structures point to the enormous input of time and human power required for their construction. Moreover, the specific arrangement of the mounds within geometric earthworks points to the presence of consolidated power and human management, which was not observed in the earlier periods. Thus, these structures can directly be associated with the rise in social complexity and stratification. Archaeological research of the Turgai geoglyphs can, therefore, provide valuable information about the social and political organization of the Early Iron Age society inhabiting the steppes of Kazakhstan. Social and political aspects of the prehistoric societies are usually hard to access through the archaeological evidence. However, geoglyphs of Turgai present a piece of a socio-political puzzle of the Early Iron Age steppe community. Understanding the reasons and purpose of the geoglyphs construction could potentially help us to understand the processes of formation of more complex social units within the steppe that played the key mediators role between the western and eastern worlds. Despite the years of research carried out at the different geoglyph sites in Turgai, we still know very little about who constructed the structures and with what purpose. It has been previously demonstrated that traditional archaeological methods of research, such as excavation, yield no evidence that could hold clues in understanding the purpose of geoglyphs construction because the structures and surrounding territory do not contain any evidence of material culture. |
