The "Qarabau-2" mound, located 10 kilometers north of the village of Karabau in the Kyzylkoga district, has a diameter of 70 and a height of 3 meters. As a result of the work carried out on the mound in 2023-2024, 9 graves were examined, seven of which were found to be unrobbery. During the study of the graves, it became known that they were built in the 5th century BC. Various jewelry, objects, weapons, and vessels made of ceramics and bone were found in them. According to archaeologists, there were also cases of mass burials of corpses. Judging by the jewelry found in the mounds and the items and weapons used, experts have assessed them as "royal mounds", - reports the Regional Communications Service.

The results of the 2-year archaeological work of the Atyrau Regional Museum of History and Local Lore were presented at the "Sarmatian Gold" exhibition. The event was attended by the deputy akim of the region, Daryn Shamuratov, heads of the regional department for the development of culture and languages, and historians.
"Scientists have previously considered our region to be the outskirts of the Sarmatian Empire. Judging by the results of the excavations we conducted, we can say that it was the center of a large empire in the Caspian lowland, the Urals, and the Zhem River basin. The total number of artifacts found is about a thousand. About a hundred of them are gold ornaments and jewelry. They are made in the style of animals. The images of predators that inhabited the region at that time (leopard, wild boar, tiger, deer) can be seen on the finds. As part of this research, a double bowl made of wood, which had not been found before, was preserved in good condition. Currently, they are being restored," said the head of the archaeological expedition, Marat Kasenov.
A total of 3 mounds were excavated. Approximately 10-15 graves have been identified in each. According to archaeologists, the Sarmatians, being of a theistic religious view, were buried with their tools, as well as their belongings and weapons. The burial mounds "Karakuduk-1" and "Karakuduk-2" are located 9.7 kilometers northwest of the village of Karabau. During the study of the double burial mound, silver pictograms (images of saiga antelope and wolf), jewelry, household items, iron and bronze weapons, etc. were found.
Two touchstones with gold handles, which have never been found in our country, were found in the "Karakuduk-2" burial mound. In the past, the Sarmatians used this stone to determine the purity, that is, the quality, of gold. Currently, such stones are used by those who buy gold. I would also like to mention that gold labels worn on human clothing were found in burial sites. Their weight starts from 2 grams. The heaviest gold ornament is a bracelet with a mountain leopard on both sides. Its weight is about 370 grams, - said Galamat Bazarbayev, head of the archaeological and scientific research support department of the Atyrau Regional Museum of History and Local Lore.
20 workers and 5 museum employees participated in the excavations. Anthropologists were invited from Astana and Almaty. As a result of general exploration work, the mounds near the village of Karabau were discovered in 2005. According to archaeologists, there are currently about 500 Sarmat mounds in the Atyrau region.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/atyrau/press/news/details/925518