A New Kurgan in the Steppe: Chinge-Tey West Kurgan 1

Abstract

Geography is the first factor in the formation of societies' lifestyles. Societies living in areas suitable for agriculture have adopted the settled life style; those living in forests have adopted the hunter and gatherer life style. Societies living in geographies favourable to animal husbandry have revealed the nomadic lifestyle. Steppe societies living in Eurasia, which is an area suitable for animal husbandry, adopted a nomadic lifestyle and formed their culture in accordance with this lifestyle. Nomadic lifestyle is different from nomadic lifestyle and is not an ordinary life. It is a systematic migration movement to the highlands in the summer months and to the winter pastures in the winter months in order to prevent both themselves and their animals from being adversely affected by the climatic conditions of the geography where they live at certain times of the year. Nomadic tribes have also created their own history and culture within this nomadic lifestyle. Information on the history and culture of these tribes can be obtained from written, oral and archaeological sources. Oral sources carry the traces of that period since they were written down in the following process. Written sources belong mostly to the tribes they were in contact with. The main information about the steppe tribes is obtained from archaeological sources. At the beginning of the archaeological sources is the kurgan made in the form of a masonry hill grave where the steppe people were buried. There are many kurgan sites belonging to the steppe people in Eurasia. One of the areas where these kurgans are located is the Turan-Uyuk valley in Tuva. This valley is a region used by steppe tribes as a wintering ground. There are kurgans of various sizes here. One of these kurgans is Chinge-Tey West Kurgan 1. The remains such as arrow sticks, arrowheads, knives, mirrors, combs, make-up materials, headdress decorations unearthed as a result of archaeological excavations in this kurgan provided information about the cultural life of the steppe tribes.