Horse equipment of medieval nomads of the Kazakh Altai (based on materials from the Tuyetas burial ground)

Abstract

Medieval horse equipment from the Kurchum district of East Kazakhstan region has been discovered. The importance of this discovery is that we now can clarify aspects of the evolution of material culture for the people of Southwestern Altai during the Middle Ages. Most likely, the horse equipment for horseback riding was an indicator of the social status of a nomad warrior. This horse equipment from the Tuyetas burial ground was located separately from the horse skeleton and consisted of fragmented belts with metal decorations, wood, metal, and textiles. The front pieces of these objects are decorated with embossed floral and geometric ornaments, and coated with amalgamated gold. As a result of the relatively good preservation of these objects, we were able to reconstruct this horse equipment of a riding horse. An examination of the technological aspects of the textiles associated with the horse equipment was also conducted using methods of optical and electron microscopy and chemical analysis. Such methods allowed for the, determination of the composition and structure of textiles, the identification of fibers, leather, fur, and color dyes.A comparative typological analysis of the findings suggests that the horse equipment is most similar morphologically and technologically to the Kimek society (9th–10th centuries).