Results of archaeological survey in the north and west of the Mangyshlak Peninsula (Western Kazakhstan) in 2024

In 2024, the Russian-Kazakh-Azerbaijani geoarchaeological expedition discovered two new sites with surface occurrence of artifacts in the north of the Mangyshlak Peninsula - Kostam and Akmaya (northern slopes of the Akmaya Ridge). Examination of the western coast of the peninsula between the cities of Aktau and Fort Shevchenko revealed individual flint artefacts on the surfaces of the Khvalynian and Early Holocene terraces. The only place where considerable amount of material evidence was collected was the Kyzyl-Ozen site. Technical and typological composition of artifacts collected from all sites has manifested similar parameters. Individual distinctive types of artifacts (blanks, cores of specific types, geometric microlith) make it possible to attribute this evidence to the Neolithic. This definition is not contradicted by the paleogeographical context. Other studied areas were the Karagie Depression, southwest of Aktau, and area northwest of Zhanaozen city, including Kurkyzylsai, Kishibulak, and Ulkenbulak localities. The survey has shown meagre chances of finding Paleolithic objects in this territory, primarily due to the lack of available raw materials (flint). Thus, the possibility of detecting Paleolithic sites in Mangyshlak can be assessed as quite low, taking into account paleogeographic data and current understanding of the level and age of the Early Khvalynian transgression. The survey of the Stone Age sites seems most promising in the inner part of the peninsula, primarily in the area of the Ustyurt Plateau where subhorizontal layers of sedimentary rocks with flint can be seen in cliffs and outcrops in several areas which, similarly to the adjacent surfaces, are ancient in age.