A carved granite block from the megalithic complex of Taskamal in Burabay

Abstract

In 2022, the study of the unique archaeological site Taskamal in the mountain forest of Burabay, located in the Burabay district of the Akmola region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, started. The monument is a complex construction, composed of two megalithic structures in the form of long walls, a bulk open terrace with two ramps, additional structures in the form of masonry and stone stelae — koitas. It also includes a quarry and a workshop. The Taskamal complex structure was built on a natural ridge covered with pine forest, located between two swampy areas. On the plan, it has a shape of a zigzag with almost right angles from three main linear sections. On the natural ridge with rocky outcrops, there are traces of human activity — masonry, hewn steps. Judging by the available analogies and its individual architectural elements, the monument can be dated from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. Among the masonry of the western wall, under an open terrace, a carved image of a cow or a bull was found. It is made on a flattened granite slab, which is placed on the rock foundation of the wall, and is technically part of the masonry. Several main details by which the animal can be identified are well preserved — the body, head and hind leg. The relief has no direct analogies in the archaeological monuments of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Indirect analogies allow us to preliminarily attribute the time of its creation to the 3rd millennium BC.