As reported by Professor Sergey Grushin, Head of the archaeological expedition "The Greater Altai – Turkic Heritage: Sentelek-2025", professor at the Institute of History and International Relations of Altai State University, a collection of early medieval artifacts was uncovered during the investigation of a burial mound at the "Balchikova 3 Tract" site.
Among the finds are iron arrowheads of various shapes and sizes, an iron belt buckle with a tongue, and a poorly preserved iron knife. These items formed part of the burial inventory and were found in a burial inventory and were discovered beneath a cleared stone embankment. The burial was conducted according to the cremation rite, with the remains placed on their side as a small cluster of calcified human bones. Inside the burial, charred fragments of wooden structures and burnt human bones were also identified.
Alongside the remains of an ancient man, part of an animal carcass, presumably a horse, was buried. Iron bits were also found among the artifacts.
– Based on the burial rites and the composition of the accompanying inventory, the mound can be tentatively attributed to the Kyrgyz culture of the second half of the 9th–10th centuries, – clarified Sergey Grushin.
Research at the "Balchikova 3 Tract" site is ongoing.
