The sculpted bear stands on its hind limbs and holds a pot-like container between its front paws. The artifact would have been worn as part of a headdress, and holes at its base indicate that it could have been sewn onto the garment, according to a translated statement from the Kazakhstan government.
The 2,200-year-old gold bear is a unique find in Kazakhstan. (Image credit: Almaty City Administration)Although other gold-crafted animals have been found in the region, the newly unearthed bear is the first of its kind.
Archaeologists in Kazakhstan excavated a 2,200-year-old burial mound. (Image credit: Almaty City Administration)
The figurine dates to the Saka period, named for a nomadic horseback-riding people from Iran who lived on the Eurasian Steppe and Tarim Basin of what is now western China. Archaeologists have found comparable gold objects at other excavations in Kazakhstan, according to the statement. For example, a headdress element shaped like a small leopard previously came to light at the Almaty Kok-Kainar burial ground, which dates to the fourth century B.C. Also, the headdress of Kazakhstan's famous "Golden Man," a young Iron Age warrior buried in an extraordinarily lavish grave, also has a gold, sheep-shaped decorative element.
Preliminary analyses date the recently excavated site to the fourth to third centuries B.C., according to the statement. Based on the number of bones they excavated, experts suspect that the mound, which is around 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and roughly 85 feet (26 m) wide, may have been the final resting place for four adults and three children.
Archaeologists found a surprising number of human bones in the burial mound. (Image credit: Almaty City Administration)Related stories
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"Research into the Karagaily burial ground is ongoing," Nurpeisov said in the statement. "To clarify the circumstances of the burial and determine the exact number of individuals interred, further analyses are planned, including the involvement of anthropologists."
After all of the investigations are finished, some of the artifacts will be put on display at the Almaty Museum, according to the statement.
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