page 85–94 RUS
ÓÄÊ 902.03
A late Turkic burial from the Western Altai (based on the excavations by M.P. Gryaznov at the Yakonur complex)
Seregin, Nikolay N.,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russian Federation,
e-mail: nikolay-seregin@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8051-7127
Marsadolov, Leonid S.,
Doctor of Cultural Studies, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation,
e-mail: marsadolov@hermitage.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0480-2225
Abstract
This article presents a cultural-chronological interpretation of archaeological materials recovered from mound No. 3, excavated by M.P. Gryaznov in 1939 at the Yakonur site. This multi-temporal burial and memorial complex is situated near the eponymous village in the Ust-Kan District of the Altai Republic. The mound in question is a substantial structure containing two graves. Of these, burial 1 proved to be the most informative, featuring the remains of an individual interred alongside a horse. An analysis of the associated inventory (including ornaments and horse equipment) made it possible to date burial mound No. 3 to the period spanning the second half of the 9th century to the first half of the 10th century AD. The burial is attributed to the cultural tradition of the early medieval Turks. The revealed peculiarities in the funerary ritual suggest a possible decline in the traditional practices of the local community, potentially influenced by other nomadic groups. Furthermore, the materials of the Yakonur complex and the presence of contemporaneous burials conducted according to the cremation rite may indicate cultural interaction between the Turks and the Kyrgyz during the late 1st millennium AD. Additionally, it is plausible to hypothesize contacts between the population of the Western Altai and the bearers of the Srostki culture, as well as with the Kimeks.
Keywords: Altai, Turks, early Middle Ages, burial, horse equipment, cultural and chronological interpretation.
© Seregin N.N., Marsadolov L.S., 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Received 20.01.2025
Accepted 18.12.2025
Article is published: 15.03.2026
Funding. This study was carried out within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation project “Comprehensive Chronology of Archaeological Sites in Altai (from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages)” (¹ 25-18-00775).
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