Gold bear figurine about 2,200 years old found in a Saka-era mound near Almaty, a first for Kazakhstan

During excavation of a Saka-period mound at the Karagaily burial ground in Almaty's Nauryzbay District, archaeologists found a gold bear figurine weighing 7-8 grams. The bear stands on its hind legs and holds a small vessel between its paws. 24.kz reported the find on 6 November, and international outlets picked it up this week.

Lyazzat Sagyndykova, director of the Almaty Museums Association, said no ornament showing a bear had been found in Kazakhstan before. The last comparable discovery was in 2014 at Kok-Kainar in Alatau District, where ornaments showing a snow leopard and a bird of prey came out of the ground. Holes at the base of the figurine suggest it was sewn onto a woman's headdress.

The mound was looted in antiquity but human remains were left inside. Senior researcher Marat Nurpeisov said mounds of this size usually hold one or two burials, while this one may contain four adults and three children. The exact number will be settled by anthropological study. When the work is finished, the finds will go to the Almaty museum collection and the most valuable pieces are to go on display.