The stone-cutting tradition of Saryarka and the cultural continuity of stone sculptures

This article presents a detailed analysis of a complex of stone sculptures dating to the Early Iron Age discovered in the Saryarka region. The morphological and iconographic features of the sculptures are described using newly obtained archaeological data, while the context of their placement and the cultural and chronological scope of the finds are also clarified. Two main groups have been identified according to the manner in which the stone statues were installed: sculptures directly associated with funerary monuments, and those used for ritual purposes. The results of radiocarbon dating and typological studies date these sculptures to the 8th-5th centuries BCE. This artistic style is distinguished by simplicity, symbolic precision, and the presence of iconographic details such as the “topknot” (kaz. aidar ). It is further noted that the tradition of stone carving originated in the Late Bronze Age and continued into the Kipchak period. The research highlights the continuity of the artistic tradition that developed in the Saryarka within the Tasmola cultural horizon (8th-5th centuries BCE) as a distinctive regional phenomenon, identifying stone carving as an indigenous cultural trend. The stone sculptures of Saryarka, characteristic of the Saka period, represent not only an element of funerary rites but also a complex cultural and ideological phenomenon that reflects the social structure, religious worldview, and artistic ideals of early society.