Scythian Burial Mounds

Just outside Svetly Mys, on the main road to Ananyevo, are a series of large grassy mounds laid out in straight lines between the mountains and Lake Issyk-Kul. These are the burial chambers of Sak tribe Scythian warriors and nobles, some of which are yet to be excavated. Similar mounds in Kazakhstan and to the south of the lake have yielded intricate jewellery, bronze vessels, armour and weapons. The most important Scythian archaeological treasure found to date is a golden warrior's costume made up of over 4,000 gold pieces. This 'golden man', excavated from a burial mound in Esik, 40km outside Almaty, is a truly breathtaking piece of master craftsmanship. Amongst arrow shaped motifs, birds and snow leopards are winged mythical beasts and antelope - all finely worked in purest gold. A few pieces of the golden man can be seen on display at the Archaeological Museum in Almaty (although the majority are kept in a secure vault at the Kazak National Bank). In early 2001 there were rumours that a second golden man had been found in a similar burial mound, also in Kazakhstan. Who knows what lies beneath the burial mounds outside Svetly Mys!