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

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

doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.3.131-139

A.P. Borodovsky
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

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.

Keywords: Bone carving, nomadic societies, local peculiarities, Early Iron Age, Berel cemetery, Pazyryk culture, Altai-Sayan Highland