Yakut elite of the 17^th century: the grave of toyon Mazary Bozekov 

The article is dedicated to the study of the burial complex of the Khangalassky ancestor (toyon) Mazary Bozekov, who was one of the most prominent leaders of the Yakut people in the 17^th century, and who had an audience with Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich in Moscow. The grave of Mazary was excavated in the Isteekh Byraan locality of the Khangalassky District of Yakutia in 1933 by the expedition of G.V. Ksenofontov and M.N. Kovinin, however, its exact location remained unknown. In 2023, a previously opened grave was rediscovered in the same area during the archaeological work of the IHRNIPP SB RAS. By comparing the obtained materials with the protocols and findings of the 1933 expedition, it was confirmed, that the burial complex was the grave of Mazary Bozekov. Excavations of 2023 significantly complemented the knowledge about the complex. The study of structures and sizes of the above-ground constructions, and internal grave chambers, as well as the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative composition for the accompanying equipment have been undertaken. The material complex of the grave combines both traditional elements of the Yakut male burials and rare local and imported items. By the means of generalisation and systematisation of the data, it has been established that the grave complex represents a vivid example of a burial monument for a representative of the Yakut elite of 17^th century — a historical period, when the local nobility began active interaction with the Russian Empire, which influenced the transformation of the cultural image of the Yakut people as a whole.

Keywords: Khangalassky district, the Late Middle Ages, Modern Times, family burial ground, Yakut society, Mazary Bozekov, yasak, toyonat, social status, objectification of status, objects of prestige.

 

Acknowledgements. The studies were performed using the scientific equipment of the Central Collective Use Center of the Federal Research Center of the Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Funding. The research was carried at the expence of a grant from the Russian Science Found No. 24-28-20359, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-20359/.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 03.10.2025

Article is published: 15.09.2025