Аннотация:Burials with stone mounds, which gave the name of the archaeological culture of Tasmola (“Stone Grave”) are being investigated by archaeologists in the very heart of Kazakhstan. The sites of the Tasmola Culture date back to the 8th-3rd c. BC and are mainly located in Central Kazakhstan, though some variations have been found in Southern Trans-Ural region and in Southern Siberia. The study of the anthropological materials excavated over the past several decades resulted in assembling the large anthropological collection of ca. 60 individuals of good preservation. Ten male and one female crania demonstrated trepanation holes (perforations), all of which are located on occipital or on the back part of parietal bones. The number of trepanations varies between one and 15 per skull. Similar cases have been recorded in the past, but only in two cases on materials of the same chronological and cultural background.
The wide-scale pattern of trepanations in Central Asia can be correlated with the existence of embalming rites, which have also been recorded from Pazyryk Culture of the Altai Mountains in Kazakhstan. We assume that in our case perforations were made for ritual purposes after the death of individuals, as no traces of healing on the male sculls have been identified.
The concentration of trepanation cases in Central Kazakhstan suggests the proximity of the ideological views of the Tasmola society to the populations of Western Siberia, Mongolia and China (despite the difference in their performance), although at the moment it is hard to define the purpose of such operations on the Tasmola individuals. The diameter of the holes is too narrow for brain extraction, the absence of obliteration (healing) suggests non-medical purpose of the intrusion. Perhaps, this could be explained by specifics of the funeral rites of the Central Kazakhstan early nomads. It should be mentioned that in our cases the trepanations were performed on individuals of high social position (from large mounds, associated with golden artifacts). The above features can suggest the flourishing of the mummification and post-mortem cranial autopsy rites in the early Iron Age population of Central Asia. Further analysis of similar body manipulations could significantly expand our understanding of the death rituals in ancient world.