Decorated saddle plates from the site of Ak-Kyya in Kyrgyzstan

The article analyzes bone plates used for decorating the horse saddle, which were discovered during the excavations of the Old Turkic female grave at the site of Ak-Kyya in the valley of the Naryn River in the Central Tian Shan. These objects include large fragments decorated with engraved curved lines with bent protrusions and spiral elements, which used to be attached to the frontal arch of the saddletree. The plates also include large pieces decorated with lines, spiral shapes, and triangles shaded with horizontal lines, which might have decorated the saddle pommel. Some plates are decorated with twisted bands and small circles, while other narrow rectangular plates are undecorated.