Burial Traditions
Zhetysu is one of the richest and most studied centers of the Kurgan tradition, spanning from 3,050 BC to recent times. This includes dozens of studied Usun and Chuban burials. Archeological finds include plenty of ceramics, gold, bronze mirrors, wooden boxes, silk, pots with charred grain, and millstones, evidencing affluent lifestile and complex pastoral-agricultural economy. Of especial note are numerous glazed flasks, an altar with 25 winged snow leopards, and the Kargala diadem, dated 2nd century BCE. Timber log burial chambers in the kurgans show that the Zhetysu people had winter log houses. Most kurgans are 6–20 m in diameter and 0.5-1.5 m height, dirt and stone filled. Typical burial chambers are earthen with a catacomb without wooden cover. Kurgan burials dated by the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE include Utegen, Taigak, Karlak, Altyn-Emel, and 2nd-3rd century CE include Kapchagai, Chupak-Didj, Gur-Kara, etc.,. Numerous archeological artifacts are now in the Hermitage Museum.
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Famous quotes containing the words burial and/or traditions:
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“And all the great traditions of the Past
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—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)