A find of a bone case in the Tasmola culture kurgan (Central Kazakhstan)

This article discusses the bone case from the kurgan 7 of the Baike-2 cemetery excavated in 2015 under the direction of A. Z. Beisenov. The site is located in the Karakuys mountainous area (Karkaraly district, the Karagandy region), 14 km to the south-southeast from the village of Nurken, and belongs to the Tasmola archaeological culture of the Saka time. The bone case bears the images of 16 animals and one vortex sign. Based on the features of the décor, it is possible to attribute the case to the early Scythian stage? and date it to the 7th century BC. The images on the find from the Baike-2 cemetery display a number of stylistic and compositional characteristics that have certain parallels in the eastern regions of the Scythian world. This new discovery may complement the series of artifacts from the territory of Kazakhstan that, along with ones from Shilikty and Besshatyr, belongs to the earliest layer of the ancient nomadic culture.