ASTANA – Ramazan Zhanuzak, an anthropologist at the Alkey Margulan Institute of Archaeology, spoke about the ancient burials with the high status of women in ancient nomadic societies of the Saka and Turkic periods in an interview with Kazinform.
Photo credit: Alexander Pavsky / Kazinform
The institute’s physical anthropology laboratory studies and preserves human remains from archaeological excavations across Kazakhstan. Findings include burials from the early Iron Age and a rare Saka-era grave of a woman, known as the Urdzhar Princess, discovered in 2013 in the East Kazakhstan Region.
Research shows that the Urdzhar Princess lived in the 5th-4th centuries B.C. and died at the age of 30-35. Her skull bore traces of intentional cranial deformation, a practice linked to traditional infant cradles. Scientists noted that her facial structure closely resembles that of modern Kazakh women, supporting the continuity of physical traits over centuries.
Another recent discovery in the Turkistan Region revealed the remains of a 35-40-year-old woman from the early Iron Age. Her skull had traces of postmortem trepanation, likely performed for mummification. According to Zhanuzak, this procedure was used to preserve the deceased for extended mourning rituals when tribal leaders traveled to pay their respects.
Excavations in the Zhetysu Region also provided new insights. A burial site contained a woman buried with a horse, bronze mirror, rings and a necklace, indicating her high social status.
“Such findings confirm that women held significant positions in nomadic societies, as reflected in historical, ethnographic and archaeological records,” said Zhanuzak.
The story was originally published in Kazinform.
