Boralday East Ili Piedmont Outlier Kurgans (Ili Piedmont East Satellite)
Boralday East Satellite · Ili Piedmont Outliers
Saka (500–250 BCE)·Saka Tigrakhauda·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Ili District, Boralday steppe Ili piedmont 8 km east of Archaeological Park Boralday, Kazakhstan
About
About Boralday East Ili Piedmont Outlier Kurgans (Ili Piedmont East Satellite)
Eastern outliers 8 km east of Boralday Archaeological Park (790 m) on Ili piedmont steppe toward Ili River branch. Six mounds 28–62 m diam, 3–7 m high with ditch rings (22–48 m) visible on satellite. Mound E-3 (62 m) 7 m high rivals park royal mounds but unexcavated; GPR 2021 shows 2-chamber anomaly. Scatter of Saka ‘animal style’ bronze arrowheads surface. Steppe now bisected by Almaty–Kapchagay highway bypass 1.1 km south, buffered by park extension proposal.
Why it mattersKey tumulus illustrating Saka Tigrakhauda hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Almaty Region, Ili District, Boralday steppe Ili piedmont 8 km east of Archaeological Park Boralday.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01E-3 size vs park royal M15
Theories
- 01Eastern branch control outliers
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.500–250 BCE
- Period
- Saka (500–250 BCE)
- Culture
- Saka Tigrakhauda
- Purpose
- Eastern outliers of Boralday field toward Ili River branch
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.500–250 BCE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
43.3250° N · 76.9500° E · 790 m · 4 mapped features
Outlier Mound E-3 (62 m) GPR Double Chamber
kurgan62-m 7-m-high outlier with double-chamber GPR
43.3260° N · 76.9510° EDitch Ring E-3 (48 m)
earthwork48-m ditch ring around E-3
43.3240° N · 76.9490° EArrowhead Scatter E-3 Apron
earthworkBronze arrowhead scatter on apron
43.3260° N · 76.9510° EHighway Buffer Zone
landscape1.1 km buffer to Almaty–Kapchagay highway
43.3230° N · 76.9480° E