A “Horseman” Burial in a Mudbrick Enclosure at the Lebedevka VIII Burial Ground
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.3.261.269Keywords:
archaeology, Lebedevka micro-region, Western Kazakhstan, Golden Horde, three-toed dragon, mudbrick mausoleumAbstract
This paper examins the archaeological material obtained during the 2014 excavations at the Lebedevka VIII burial ground, located on the Mount Esen-Amantau in the Karatobe district of the West Kazakhstan Region. This burial ground is the southernmost among all the burial grounds of the Lebedevka micro-district. A distinctive feature of this burial ground is the predominance of barrows constructed in the medieval period, in contrast to the other burial grounds of the Lebedevka micro-district (Lebedevka I–VII burial grounds), which were erected in the Early Iron Age. In the southern part of the Lebedevka VIII burial ground, barrow 12 was excavated. It consisted of a circular mudbrick fence with a brick grave structure over one of the burials. Two burials were found inside the mausoleum, one of which is classified as a “horseman” burial accompanied by grave goods. Items discovered include iron stirrups, a bridle bit, scissors, a bronze mirror and bronze belt mounts. Particularly noteworthy are two zoomorphic belt-end, one of which depicts a horned animal, and the other—a three-toed dragon. These are currently the only Golden Horde period mounts discovered in a closed assemblage. At present, this burial represents a rare example of a “horseman” burial from the Golden Horde period found in a mudbrick enclosure.
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