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In central Asia, archaeologists from the Kazakhstan Institute of Archaeology have unearthed two ancient gold artifacts from a 1,500-year-old tomb that were adorned with the earliest known depictions of a royal figure from an ancient civilization.
The ruler featured in the relics was the great khan, or khagan, of a nomadic group of Turkic-speaking peoples called the Göktürks. They inhabited the region for around three centuries.
More specifically, the gold artifacts portrayed a crowned figure sitting on a throne and surrounded by horses and kneeling servants who offered food from a bowl and plate.
The finds were made at the tomb of the Eleke Sazy site in Kazakhstan near the country’s borders with China, Mongolia, and Russian Siberia.
The tomb dates back to the sixth century, and aside from the gold ornaments, it held the remains of a prince. By the seventh century, his place of burial had developed into a complex memorial site where people would go to worship him.
The lead archaeologist, Zainolla Samashev, states that the discovery is of great importance because it provides new information about how the Göktürks conducted enthronement ceremonies. He thinks that the prince may have been part of the royal Ashina clan.
The Ashina clan founded two Turkic states between the fifth and eighth centuries. Eventually, they were conquered by another Turkic group who became known as the Uyghurs.
The gold objects were discovered in the central chamber of the tomb and measured about 1.5 inches across. One of them suffered damage from the fire during the cremation of the prince.
There were holes in the objects, which suggested that they were used as belt buckles. The belt buckles appeared to have been a symbol of power, dominance, and high status in the ancient Turkic states.
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