Diamond-shaped birch bark products of Mongolian period burials in Tien-Shan

The article addresses diamond-shaped birch bark products, which are part of headdresses and earrings, on the example of finds from graves in the burial grounds of the Inner Tien Shan and Issyk-Kul Basin of the Kyrgyz Republic. These items are closely related to the female headdress "bokka" ("bogto", "bokhtag"), which is characteristic for the "Mongolian Imperial Culture". Most of the birch-bark lozenges from women's burials were decorated with small white beads. However, finds from the mounds of the Boz-Adyr burial mound indicate that they could have been decorated with small round bronze plaques and used as one of the main elements ofheaddress decoration. A similar birch bark rhomboid decorated with small white beads was the central element of a bronze earring. According to the available data, the rhombic birch bark pieces were attached to the headdress from both sides and dangled as decoration pieces. In one case they were sewn to the ties of a cloth cap which was the basis for fixing a birch bark bokka topping on the head. In Mongolian culture, a symbol could be perceived as an expression of a complex philosophical doctrine. For example, the symbol of rhombus represented a «powerful» tool, triangle symbolized progress and prosperity, etc. The rhombus was also a symbol of earth, protection, power, strength, prosperity, harmony, balance, abundance, fertility, and femininity and was used everywhere from ancient times to the present day. The analysis of archaeological materials shows that rhombic birch bark pieces are most often found in the burials of adult women, together with bokka ofthe Mongolian-Tian-Shan type. These finds are unique artifacts that provide valuable information about the material culture ofthe population of the Tian Shan and nomadic peoples ofthe Eurasian steppe in the Mongol period.