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1,500-Year-Old ‘Golden Shoes’ Found in Noblewoman’s Grave Reveal Ties to the Hunnic World
A richly furnished grave on Kazakhstan’s Caspian coast has revealed 1,500-year-old gold-covered shoe fittings belonging to a noblewoman whose burial shows striking connections with the Hunnic world. The objects, sometimes described as “golden shoes,” were not footwear made entirely of precious metal. Archaeologists instead recovered elaborate shoe buckles and strap fittings covered with thin gold…
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Ancient DNA Study Including Kazakhstan’s “Golden Man” Reveals Family Networks Behind Scythian Elite Power
Gold, horses, weapons, and monumental kurgans have long shaped the image of Scythian elite power. But a new study published in Science Advances suggests that power among some Scythian and Saka groups may also have depended on something less visible in the archaeological record: family ties. Based on ancient DNA from Iron Age burials across…
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112-Centimeter Saber Found in Russia Raises New Questions About a 13th-Century Warrior Burial
A 112-centimeter saber has emerged from a 13th-century grave near Russia’s lower Volga, still preserved inside the wooden scabbard that protected it for centuries. The weapon was discovered at the Orlinoye Gnezdo settlement and ground burial cemetery in the Astrakhan region, where archaeologists have been examining a medieval burial ground in Krasnoyarsky District. Its size…
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2,300-Year-Old Saka Boot with Beads and Crystals Found in Frozen Altai Tomb
A remarkably preserved 2,300-year-old Saka boot discovered in the frozen burial mounds of the Altai Mountains is offering rare insight into the craftsmanship, fashion, and social identity of ancient Eurasian steppe nomads. Decorated with beads, crystals, and metallic ornaments, the striking red leather footwear stands among the most extraordinary organic artifacts recovered from the famous…
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7,000-Year-Old Neolithic Burial Unearthed in Kazakhstan Marks the Country’s Earliest Known Human Grave
A team of archaeologists has uncovered Kazakhstan’s oldest known human burial at the Koken settlement, revealing a chapter of human history that predates the dawn of herding and agriculture in the region. Radiocarbon analysis dates the discovery to around 7,000 years ago, offering the first direct evidence of human presence in the Kazakh steppe during…