2,200-year-old gold bear figurine and surprising number of bones found in massive burial mound in Kazakhstan
Archaeologists have found a 2,200-year-old golden bear in an Iron Age burial in Kazakhstan that may have held seven people.
In southern Kazakhstan, a 2,200-year-old gold bear figurine has been unearthed at an Early Iron Age burial mound. The small bear, sculpted to stand on its hind legs and hold a pot-like container between its front paws, would have been worn as part of a headdress. The unique discovery, made at the Karagaily burial ground in Almaty, was found among a surprisingly high number of human bones for a single burial mound.
While other gold-crafted animals have been discovered in the region, this is the first bear figurine of its kind to be found in Kazakhstan. The Saka period, named for a nomadic horseback-riding people from Iran, is believed to be the origin of the figurine. Experts are now investigating the burial mound to determine the exact number of individuals interred and the circumstances surrounding its burial. The discovery sheds light on cultural parallels across Eurasia.
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