METAL OBJECTS IN THE RITUALS OF THE BRONZE AGE FROM KAZAKHSTAN (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE NURATALDY 1 BURIAL GROUND)

The article describes the ritual hoard of bronze objects deposited outside fence 1 in the Nurataldy 1 burial ground of the Early Alakul (Petrovka) culture. The morphological and typological originality of the bronze daggers and spearheads attributes the complex as belonging to the Fedorovka culture. The hoard contains three daggers, two spearheads, an awl, ingots and a fragment of an object cast from medium- and high-alloy tin bronze with special heat treatment technology. The ritual burial of weapons was probably conducted as a gift to the deities, followed by the expectation of good luck, assistance in metallurgical activities, or as a sign of respect and commemoration of a member of another (the Early Alakul) community.