The trace of the Great Empire: a sculpture of the ancient Turkic era from the Tobol River region (Northern Kazakhstan) Cover Image

След великой империи: изваяние древнетюркской эпохи из Притоболья (Северный Казахстан)
The trace of the Great Empire: a sculpture of the ancient Turkic era from the Tobol River region (Northern Kazakhstan)

Author(s): Bakhyt M. Khasenova, Gulnara S. Jumabekova, Galiya A. Bazarbayeva
Subject(s): History, Archaeology, 6th to 12th Centuries
Published by: Нижневартовский государственный университет
Keywords: archaeology; Northern Kazakhstan; Tobol River region; Zharyk; ancient Turkic times; sculpture; high social status;

Summary/Abstract: A new find of stone sculpture of the ancient Turkic times (7th — 8th century) from Northern Kazakhstan is published, and the description and attribution of the find are given. The statue represents a stately figure of a sitting man. Such statues are quite rare in the Tobol River region; at the same time, they are markers of the area of the Western Turkic Khaganate. Hence, the sample of this kind of archaeological record is gradually replenished with finds, which enables reconstruction of a picture of cultural and historical processes in the steppe belt of Eurasia in the times of the early Turkic states. Taking into account the small number of findspots and sites of the ancient Turkic period in the region, which is due, among other things, to the agricultural development of land, each find of stone sculpture is of particular importance.