New discoveries near the Ushtogai square

In cooperation with the Kostanai local lore specialists, this paper introduces into the scientific discourse archaeological sites located in the south of the Turgay Trough 6,5 km southeast of the Ushtogai village on the shore of Lake Taldyash (oxbow of the Saryozen river). A preliminary survey of the area adjacent to the lake revealed two distribution areas of archaeological finds interpreted as the Ushtogai 1 and Ushtogai 2 sites. The archaeological finds on the surface were documented with the help of a GPS navigator and a photo camera. The artifacts at Ushtogai 1 recorded on the surface are dated to the Neolithic within the relative chronology, while those found at Ushtogai 2 are dated to the period from the Eneolithic to the Early Iron Age. The paper focuses mainly on the proximity of Ushtogai 1 and Ushtogai 2 to the geoglyphs of the Ushtogai Square and Sandyktau Line, bringing up an issue of potential constructors of the geoglyphs as well as setting tasks for follow-up studies of the geoglyphs since areas where Stone Age finds are distributed are also known near other geoglyphs.