A composite belt from the period of the First Turkic Khaganate discovered in Northern Altai
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24231763 |
|---|---|
| Authors | N N Seregin (0000-0002-8051-7127, Altai State University), Sergey S Matrenin (0000-0001-7752-2470, Altai State University), N F Stepanova (0000-0003-4017-5641, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Issue | 2(73) |
| Pages | 69 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Vestnik arheologii, antropologii i ètnografii (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1811-7465 • E-ISSN: 2071-0437 |
| Publisher | Tyumen Scientific Center of the SB RAS (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.20874/2071-0437-2026-73-2-6 |
| OpenAlex | W7163694822 |
| Language | RU |
| References cited | 7 |
The article presents the results of the analysis of an original composite belt recovered during excavations at one of the objects of the Gorny-10 necropolis, an archaeological site located in the Krasnogorsk District of the Altai Krai. The site was investigated between 2000 and 2002 by expeditions from Altai State University and the Scientific Production Centre “Nasledie”. A total of 75 burials, dating to the Early Middle Ages, were documented at the necropolis. Metal components of composite belts were identified in more than one-third of the excavated features. Among these findings, the assemblage from grave 23 stands out as particularly significant. This grave contained an undisturbed single burial of an elderly individual. The analyzed composite belt comprises an iron hook-fastener, cast bronze plaques (5 round and 9 quadrangular in shape, all lacking slits), and a pendant tip with a spoon-like outline. Based on comparative analysis with relevant analogies from early medieval sites, this assemblage is believed to have been manufactured in the second half of the 6th to the early 7th century AD. This chronological attribution is supported by the results of radiocarbon analysis. The composite belt represents a very rare and archaic example within the context of the Medieval Period, as it lacks prototypes in the local cultural milieu of the Great Migration Pe-riod. It has been established that the genesis of this set — originating from the northern foothills of the Altai — was primarily influenced by the tradition of manufacturing belt fittings among Turkic groups or related nomadic popula-tions. This tradition became widespread during the period of the First Khaganate.
6th-7th century AD · belt fittings · early Middle Ages · Great Migration Period · Northern Altai · pendant · Radiocarbon dating · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical and Archaeological Studies
“Elite” Children’s Burial of Turkic Khaganates Period from the Northern Altai
Kuraika-2 funeral-memorial complex (South-Eastern Altai)
Tools of the Population of the Northern Foothills of Altai in the Beginning of the Early Middle Ages (Based on Materials from the Gorny-10 Necropolis)
Chinese Coins from the Early Medieval Cemetery Gorny-10, Northern Altai
Archaeological Evidence of Migration from the Southern Taiga of Western Siberia to the Urals in the Early Middle Ages
| Highly cited | No |
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