Geoarchaeological Survey of the Irtysh River Basin, East Kazakhstan

Summary

Evidence for the earliest human occupation of Eastern Kazakhstan is poorly known, despite it being part one of the largest countries in the world and flanked along its borders with important paleoanthropological sites in Russia and China. We sought evidence of prehistoric sites by foot and vehicle survey around the Irtysh Basin. At each major point of interest we took photographs geotagged with geographic coordinates, and collected global positioning system (GPS) data. Although much of the area we covered lacked clear evidence of human prehistory, we found several locations that merit further investigation. One exposed soil profile contained a large bovid humerus, a long bone shaft fragment with apparent green fractures, and two stone flakes. In addition to foot and vehicle survey, we consulted with local residents in many of the small villages we encountered. A resident of the village Balgyn led us to a small cave, in which he says he had found "arrowheads." This informant also told us there was a larger cave in the area, which we will investigate next season. Two other caves were found near the town of Ognevka, both following the same small river that drains into the Irtysh.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21230