Bronze Age Settlements of the North-East Caspian Region

The article deals with the study of the Bronze Age settlements of the Ustyurt Plateau (North-Eastern Caspian region). The work provides data illustrating the stages of studying ancient history monuments on the territory of the Ustyurt Plateau. More than a thousand years have passed from the first mentions of the Ustyurt Plateau in written sources to its comprehensive study. Scientific research conducted until the middle of the 20th century primarily concerned the study of climate, soils, geological exploration, and the possibility of economic development of land. The second half of the 20th century became a defining stage in the study of archaeological sets. The beginning of the 21st century brought several Bronze Age settlements to the treasury of archaeological sites – Toksanbay, Aitman, Manaysor. The work of the West Kazakhstan Archaeological Expedition of the Margulan Institute of Archaeology under the leadership of Zainolla Samashev and with the active participation of Antonina Ermolaeva and Lev Galkin, in fact, became a launching pad for the accumulation of archaeological material of this era. Thanks to the state strategic project "Cultural Heritage" in 2004-2009, a systematic study of these settlements was carried out. To obtain complete information, an integrated approach was used, involving specialists in related natural sciences. As a result of many years of research of the structural elements of dwellings, it was possible to study in detail the building materials used, analyze the methods of erecting a dwelling, elements of structures, the shape and size of the pit, the system of arrangement of post holes in the floor of the room, roofing techniques, which made it possible to reconstruct dwelling No. 2 of the Toksanbay Settlement. The obtained materials made it possible to identify the development of handicraft production, study the ritual practices of the settlement’s inhabitants, and trace the adaptation options of the population to difficult natural and climatic conditions.