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Shilikty buriaL mound.

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Lao Tzu.

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Shilikty a barrow are located in the valley of the same name in the Zaysan region of East Kazakhstan region. From three parties the valley stretched in length at 80 and width on 30 kilometers is surrounded by the massif: in the South and the West - the Tarbagatai, in the east - Sauyr, in the north - Manyrak.
The valley favourably differs in the favorable climatic conditions: summer here cool, winter - warm and snowless. Therefore, since a bronze era these lands were densely populated with early agricultural and cattle breeding tribes.
In the valley 100 more barrows are located. Here nearby saint tomb Zeynula - constructed by Bayazit Saipayev. A multi-colored hill Ashutas, is located in the valley of Black Irtysh, near Zaysan. In 40 - the 60th years the Leningrad scientist Sergey Sergeyevich Chernikov working at excavation of one of large barrows of the Shilikty valley made the assumption that it is one of the oldest saksky Scythian constructions. It even published the book "Mystery of the Gold Barrow".
The majority of the objects found then is kept in the Hermitage, separate gold products are in store rooms of the Central state museum of Kazakhstan. As the Kazakhstan scientists consider, on many signs this monument can be carried to a boundary of the VIII - IX century of century of AD, that is burial more than is created two thousand seven hundred years ago.
The radio-carbon analysis of a tree of a tomb the Kiev scientists and N. Kovalyuk confirms with V. Skripkin this dating. The bones found in burial could belong to the aristocratic person. I called this important person the tsar.
Conclusions of the scientist confirm many facts. For example, the special status of burial confirms that in such huge barrow one person was buried. Points to its high position that the person was buried in gold jewelry.
Moreover, the Shilikty governor was dressed not in the ritual clothes which are specially prepared for a funeral - usually such things are sewed hastily and differ in fragility, represent a certain properties. Gold jewelry of the Shilikty governor was intended for everyday life.
The main underground corridor of a tomb was filled up with stones, but had the secret double about whom robbers did not suspect, the governor wore these clothes embroidered by gold metal plates during lifetime.
Besides, among gold things the five-pointed star symbolizing the power is found. Beams of a star are made of lazurite, a background of beams from a horn, it from a reverse side is sheathed by gold. The clothes of the leader embroidered by gold caused analogies to the Issyk-Sky soldier - and its began to call the third "the gold person'.
The made special researches and the metalgraphic analysis showed that test of gold of Shilikty jewelry very high within 960 - 970 tests. But most of all scientists struck miniatures, hardly distinguishable through a magnifying glass.
The special attention was drawn by a tiny bowl-shaped gold suspension bracket only 1 millimeter in size. The ear with a diameter of 0,5 mm was soldered to it. It is difficult to imagine that they are made by steppe nomads many centuries ago!
Almost all plots of jewelry from a barrow, except for a five-pointed star and a corrugated tubule, represent animals of local fauna and are executed in early Saksky Scythian animal style. For example, gold архар. Or the plaque which is conditionally called "a leopard mask".
She is made of the heads of two mountain goats if to look sideways, reminds the golden eagle soaring in the sky. Fragments of wooden boards with images of a fallow deer and deer became even more surprising find.
Drawings were applied on a tree with red, dark brown and yellow mineral paints. Still nothing similar in this region met.

Art assumption of the Shilikty barrow.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Environs of the Shilikty burial mound.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Environs of the Shilikty burial mound.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Environs of the Shilikty burial mound.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Environs of the Shilikty burial mound.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Burial mound in Shilikty and vicinity.Environs of the Shilikty burial mound.

Authority:
Zhanar Kanafina. "From expedition materials".

Photos by
Alexander Petrov.