Known as formidable warriors, the ancient Saka people of the Eurasian steppe were also skilled goldsmiths. A partnership between the University of Cambridge and the East Kazakhstan Regional Museum of Local History, this display at the Fitzwilliam Museum (28 September–30 January 2022) presents hundreds of gold objects from three burial complexes, recently discovered by Kazakhstani archaeologists, with some dating as far back as the eighth century BC. Highlights include the reconstructed burial mound of a teenage archer – only the second such mound ever to be discovered undisturbed in Kazakhstan – showing how his golden regalia was laid alongside him after death. Find out more from the Fitzwilliam Museum’s website.
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A burial mound at the Saka cemetery of Eleke Sazy, Tarbagatay region, Kazakhstan. Photo: Yevgeniy Domashev
Two plaques in the form of birds with heads twisted round and unfurled wings (4th–3rd century BC), discovered at the Eleke Sazy burial complex in Kazakhstan
Figure of Argali on four-leaf clover (6th–5th century BC), discovered at the Eleke Sazy burial complex in Kazakhstan
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