Towards the study of the culture of early nomads of Zhetysu: results of traceological and archaeozoological analysis of materials from the settlement of Sharyn

The article presents the results of archaeological research at the Sharyn settlement in the Sarytogai tract, located within the Sharyn National Park in the Uygur district of Almaty region, which is one of the largest Early Iron Age sites in Zhetysu. The relevance of the study lies in the need to reconstruct the economic and cultural type of the local population and to identify the specifics of cultural contacts between Zhetysu, Central Kazakhstan, and the Altai. The research aimed to determine the economy and way of life of the Sharyn population through the combined use of traditional archaeological methods and interdisciplinary approaches. The objectives included the analysis of the ceramic assemblage, the functional identification of stone tools through use-wear analysis, and the archaeozoological study of animal bone remains. The hypothesis suggested that the population engaged in animal husbandry and agriculture, applied diverse tools in economic and domestic activities, and maintained cultural contacts with neighboring regions, as reflected in the material culture. The results demonstrated that the diversity of ceramic forms and ornamentation indicates active interregional interactions; use-wear analysis of stone tools revealed their application in agriculture, construction, and daily life; and archaeozoological analysis of 692 animal bones established the predominance of small ruminants (50.9%) along with a significant role of cattle and horse breeding. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the first comprehensive application of use-wear and archaeozoological analyses to the materials of the Sharyn settlement, which made it possible to reconstruct economic practices and identify the specific features of local traditions within the broader framework of interregional cultural connections in the Early Iron Age.