Senkibay-2 - New Location of Ceramics of Elunino in Central Saryarka

Abstract

The article describes the location where the Early Bronze Age ceramics was discovered during the study of the Petrovka Culture mound-enclosure in the Singkibay-2 burial ground in Central Saryarka. Based on analogies and a series of radiocarbon dates from the sites of the region, the analysed pottery can be attributed to the Elunino archaeological culture, and dated to the second half of the 3rd mil. BC. At the present state of the source base, the question of the nature of the location still remains open. Perhaps, it represents the evidence of the funeral-commemorative activities of the pre-Andronovo “population”, or a part of the destroyed cultural layer of the settlement. Only further field work will could address this issue. In general, this find significantly expands the distribution of the Elunino Culture to the south, which over time will possibly be extended further all the way to the northern coast of the Lake Balkhash. The recorded joint positioning of the Elunino and Petrovka materials provides the additional topographical information for the area of the pre-Andronovo complexes and puts forward the issue of the relationship between these two cultural formations. Keywords: Central Saryarka, Taldy River, early Bronze Age, Elunino Culture, location, ceramics, migrations