Pre-Islamic burials of the Besinshitobe burial ground in Otrar oasis

This article is devoted to the introduction into the scientific circulation of new archaeological materials obtained from excavations of Besinshitobe burial ground of Otrar oasis in Southern Kazakhstan. The results of the study of this burial ground, along with the materials of other synchronous monuments, should expand ideas about the post-Kangyu period of the region’s history. The author systematized and analyzed the burials of the pre-Arab era. According to the nature of the burial rite, two groups are distinguished: single burials with accompanying equipment and burials in clay vessels. Their dating is still preliminary. Based on the comparative analysis of the burial complex with the materials of the monuments of the adjacent territories, the main stages of the functioning of the burial ground are determined. The earliest period includes solitary burials with accompanying equipment. Some skulls have traces of artificial deformation of the ring type. In two burials, a ritual of incomplete cremation was performed. The earliest burials of this complex belong to the 4th-5th centuries A.D. Based on the analogies of burials in large clay vessels placed in grave pits, it can be attributed to the 7th - 8th centuries A.D.