Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered a Late Bronze Age city dating to about 100 AD. 1600 BC. The ancient site, called Semiyarka, is located in northeastern Kazakhstan and covers nearly 250 acres, according to a report ancient timesa journal of world archeology published by Durham University, UK. The report was written by eight researchers from Durham University, University College London and Toleshirov University in Kazakhstan, CBS News reported.
Semiyarka was originally discovered by researchers at Toraighyrov University in the early 2000s. At this time, researchers found evidence of rectangular earthworks and late Bronze Age pottery and metal artefacts. The latest findings – “the first detailed archaeological survey of Seminyaka” – reveal the region’s transformation from nomadic communities to more permanent urban settlements.
Miljana Radivojević, one of the report’s authors and professor of archeology at University College London, told the university’s news site, “This is one of the most striking archaeological finds in the region in decades. Seminyaka changes our view of steppe society. It shows that mobile communities could establish and maintain permanent, organized settlements centered around possible large-scale industry – true ‘urban centers’ on the steppe.”
Seminyalka is located on the Kazakh Steppe, a vast region of steppes and savannas that overlooks the Irtysh River and stretches into present-day Russia. Also known as the “City of Seven Canyons,” it was “the first large prairie center to produce tin bronze on site,” according to the association ancient times Report. “These findings suggest that Seminyaka was likely a well-organized metallurgical center capable of controlling production, challenging assumptions about the lack of a structured metals economy in semi-nomadic steppe communities.”
The research team hopes to continue studying how the Seminyaka community made metal products and traded with other nearby groups.
