25 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Megalithic structure found in Kazakhstan was probably a place of worship for miners in the Bronze Age

Archaeologists investigating a megalithic monument in the Burabay district of the Akmola region of Kazakhstan have revealed that the monument may have been closely linked to gold mining activities in the region in the 2nd millennium BC and may possibly have been a place of worship for miners.

The results of the research were published by Dr. Sergey Yarygin and Dr. Sergazy Sakenov, researchers of the Margulan Archaeological Institute, and Zerrin Aydın Tavukçu, Associate Professor at Ataturk University in Türkiye.

The monument received the name “Taskamal” (from the Kazakh language “Stone fortress”) from residents and tourists due to its monumentality and characteristic masonry of granite blocks.

The research focuses on recording the monument’s architecture and understanding its cultural and chronological context, but it also provides important insights into the understanding of gold mining activities in the Late Bronze Age.

The Taskamal complex is home to some of the most remarkable architectural features, including a massive megalithic wall made of enormous granite blocks, an elevated platform in the center, two thoughtfully constructed access ramps, an external platform, several lithic stelae whose significance is yet to be unknown, and petroglyphs and reliefs that may hold important secrets about its purpose and cultural significance.

Taskamal structure in Kazakhstan was a place of worship for Bronze Age miners. Image Credit: Sergey Yarygin et al.Taskamal structure in Kazakhstan was a place of worship for Bronze Age miners. Image Credit: Sergey Yarygin et al.
Taskamal structure in Kazakhstan was a place of worship for Bronze Age miners. Image Credit: Sergey Yarygin et al.

Based on comparisons of the complex’s individual components, building methods, and archaeological features—most notably, the image of a reclining bull—the monument’s preliminary dating to the second millennium BCE places Taskamal in the context of Central Asia’s Late Bronze Age, a time of significant social, technological, and economic transformation.

This proposed chronology assumes even more significance in light of the rich archaeological landscape that surrounds the Burabay region and environs. These areas include several cemeteries connected to the Fedorovo, Alakul, and Sargara-Alexeyev archaeological cultures, which flourished between 1800 and 900 BCE, as well as approximately 46 Late Bronze Age sites and 90 ancient gold mines that have been documented.

Archaeologists believe that the Megalithic object was constructed during the time of gold mining activities in Burabay and was likely associated with gold extraction.

Like other communities in Northern Kazakhstan, the populations that lived in the Burabay during the Late Bronze Age took part in the extraction, processing, and international trade of polymetals. The high number of gold mines around Burabay provided evidence of exploitation in ancient times, indicating that the local communities were primarily focused on gold mining.

Structures in the Bronze Age megalithic site in Kazakhstan. Image Credit: Sergey Yarygin et al.

In addition to the numerous gold deposits in the area and the evidence of ancient mining nearby, the monumentality of the Taskamal complex suggests that it served a purpose of great importance to the prehistoric communities who built it. These factors support the hypothesis that the Taskamal complex may have been connected to gold mining activities in the Mid-Bronze Age.

If confirmed, this hypothesis will shed light on the complex relationships between economic, ritual, and social practices in Bronze Age societies in Central Asia.

However, the researchers emphasize the need to obtain precise dates to improve the site’s chronology, to conduct geochemical analyses that can definitively confirm the complex’s link to gold mining, and to conduct broader regional studies to contextualize Taskamal within the vast and complex archaeological landscape of Central Asia.

The research was published in the journal Archaeological Research in Asia.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2024.100536

Cover Image: Sergey Yarygin et al.

Related Articles

In western Turkey, inscriptions and 2,500-year-old sculptures were found

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Two 2,500-year-old marble statues and an inscription have been found during excavations at the ancient city of Euromos, in Turkey’s...

Ancient tomb discovered under parking lot greenery in Japan

16 September 2023

16 September 2023

Shrubbery intended to illuminate a corner of a nondescript parking lot in Japan’s Nara prefecture turned out to be hiding...

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

27 July 2024

27 July 2024

Maritime historians from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association discovered the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in...

Evidence of the oldest hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe discovered in Spanish Cave

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

A team of scientists has discovered and analyzed the first direct evidence of basketry among hunter-gatherer societies and early farmers...

Researchers reveal the 4,500-year-old network of funerary avenues in Arabian Peninsula

15 January 2022

15 January 2022

Archaeologists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) have determined that people living in ancient northwest Arabia built long-distance “funerary...

9 Relics of Neanderthal Found in The Guattari Cave

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals who were reportedly killed and mauled by hyenas in their...

Medieval Love badge with the written “Love conquers all” discovered in Poland

18 February 2024

18 February 2024

Polish archaeologists have discovered a late medieval badge: a piece of tin shaped into a turtle dover and with the...

Evidence of the Birth of Archaic Monotheism in Anatolia found at Oluz Höyük, “Havangah prayer at Oluz Höyük”

27 March 2022

27 March 2022

Oluz Höyük, located 25 kilometres west of Amasya, is an ancient city which has rich findings of religious structuring. During...

More evidence shows Vikings came to North America before Columbus

22 May 2023

22 May 2023

Although the discovery of North America is synonymous with Christopher Columbus, new research reveals that Viking sailors landed on the...

Khirbet Midras pyramid and  Archaeological Site in Israel

28 November 2022

28 November 2022

Khirbet Midras (Arabic) or Horvat Midras (Hebrew) is one of several antiquities sites located within the Adullam Grove National Park,...

Archaeologists discovered a dragon made of mussel shells in in Inner Mongolia

26 August 2023

26 August 2023

Archaeologists discovered a dragon made of mussel shells earlier this week in Chifeng, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which...

‘Bakery Prison’ found in Ancient Rome’s Pompeii

12 December 2023

12 December 2023

Archaeologists working on the ongoing excavations in Region IX, Insula 10, near the slopes of the ancient city of Pompeii,...

Luxurious 2,200-year-old King Tomb Discovered in China

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a luxurious 2,200-year-old tomb in eastern China, the largest, highest-ranking, and most structurally complex ever unearthed, which...

Treasure hunters revealed a 2,700-year-old Urartian temple In the east of Turkey

18 June 2022

18 June 2022

Treasure hunters revealed a 2,700-year-old Urartian temple A group of treasure hunters, who were digging illegally to find treasure in...

300-Year-Old Sacred Mummified Mermaid From Japan’s Mystery Solved

20 February 2023

20 February 2023

A mummified mermaid has been worshiped in Japan for centuries because locals believe it has healing powers. However, upon closer...