Abstract
The article presents the results of the study of the fortified outpost settlement of Zhezdy, located on the northern chinks of the Ustyurt Plateau. Based on fieldwork materials, analysis of the ceramic assemblage, planigraphy, and fortification features, the cultural and chronological characteristics of the site and its functional purpose have been clarified. It has been established that the most intensive phase of the settlement’s occupation dates to the Early Medieval period (second half of the 7th – first half of the 9th century). The well-constructed enclosure walls built of bedrock shell limestone slabs, arrow towers, a gate labyrinth, and the internal layout of the premises indicate that Zhezdy belongs to the Zhetyasar-III stage of the Zhetyasar culture.
Special attention is paid to the arrow-shaped planned structures identified in the vicinity of the site. Comparison of ceramic materials and chronological indicators demonstrates their synchronicity with the settlement and makes it possible to consider these features within a unified context of territorial occupation. Analysis of the site’s topographic position and fortification system shows that Zhezdy occupied a strategically important position on the northern periphery of the Zhetyasar culture distribution area and probably controlled movement routes through the chink zones of the Ustyurt Plateau. At present, the settlement of Zhezdy is the northernmost site of the Zhetyasar culture and the first site of this culture identified and investigated in Western Kazakhstan.
01 Introduction
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