Precious Metal Jewelry of the Kozhumberdy Cultural Group Burials in the Ural-Mugodzhary Region

The paper presents the findings from the burials of the Kozhumberdy cultural group dated the Late Bronze Age. The burials are situated in the Ural-Mugodzhary region and contain precious metal jewelry among other tools and items. The study reviews 13 burials in 9 tombstones (6 kurgans and 3 fences) constituting 3 burial grounds, such as Ushkattinsky I, Aralcha II, Ishkinovka III. There the research found 34 items made of gold and silver. Their radiocarbon age was established in the range of 1740–1260 BC. Archaeometric data are evident of a highly developed metallurgy and metalworking of the carriers of the Kozhumberdy cultural complex. They regularly used two or more metals and complex multicomponent alloys. Metal production activities was on the own mineral resource base including local sources of gold and silver. The study reveals a significant standardization of jewelry process operations, the unified morphology of products, the widespread use of the technique of plating jewelry with precious metals and ornamentation with embossed patterns. These facts suggest isolation of jewelry in the blacksmithing industry. Precious metals were used to make tubular rings and grooved pendants in the shape of one-and-a-half ring spirals. They were used as ear embellishments. Paleoanthropological data confirm that funeral rites typically used precious metals jewelry for burials of women of reproductive age. In individual and paired burials of different sexes, precious metal jewelry is found only with women. There is no direct evidence of them belonging to the category of leaders or the elite, which emphasizes the egalitarianism of the Kozhumberdy society and the importance of gender and age. There are extraordinary burials such as double burials of women facing each other and accompanied by precious metal jewelry. This could be burials of siblings.