Two new daggers of early Sarmatian shape from Chui valley

The article is concerned with the publication of two new finds of early Sarmatian shape iron daggers, found in the southern foothill zone of the Chui valley(Kyrgyzstan). This category of weapons is considered as a rare find on the territory of the spread of the Saka culture of Tien Shan region. Therefore, each newfind of such items significantly expands the understanding of the features of the formations and development of the blade weapons in this territory. The first dagger by its morphological features was dated to the late half of the 5th - first half of the 4th centuries BC. Similar analogies were discovered on the territory of the Forest-Steppe Altai, the Volga region and the South Urals, which allowed to clarify its chronological framework. The second dagger was dated by the author back to the first half of the 3rd century BC. At the same time the closest morphological parallels are found mainly in the Sarmatian materials of the South Urals region. Analysis of the data of the two daggers showed that Tien Shan region was already quite early in the southern periphery of the original territory of formation of the early Sarmatian-type blade weapons. It is noteworthy that cultural interrelationships not onlywith the territories of the Southern Urals and Volga region, but also with the Forest-Steppe Altai, played a significant role in appearance and spread of the daggers there.