ALTYN ADAM: ENIGMATIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Hello YouTube. In the history of world archaeology, there are discoveries that not only replenish museum fine funds, but also radically change national identity, becoming visible symbols of ancient statethood and culture. Such an event was the discovery of the golden man, a legendary find which formed the basis of the modern national symbol of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

[00:00:35]That's the official view. By the way, the visual shock of what archaeologists saw in 1970 was comparable to the discovery of Tutan Commons tomb in Central Asia. So what was found in Egypt according to people in Kazakhstan is similar to what was found in Central Asia. Archaeologists saw an outfit studded with more than 4,000 gold plaques creating the effect of precious scaly armor.

[00:01:14]Let's look at the area of this somewhat complicated discovery. Is another name of the lake is Essi which means door in Kazak language is a picturesque high alitude lake surrounded by extreme beautiful nature dense forests and wild flower fields.

[00:01:36]The lake is located at the altitude of 1,760 m above sea level in the Isa gorge of the Trans Eli Alatau about 70 kilometers east of the city of Almati.

[00:01:53]The is golden man or Alin Adam found in 1970 has become one of the national symbols in that country. The image of a warrior in a gold suit with a high headdress is depicted in museum reconstructions and textbooks on the independence monument and money in souvenirs and on various signs.

[00:02:24]It is all the more surprising how little is still known about this Kazak Tatan Hammond, even to specialists, not to mention people far from science. The sensational find discovered near the pearl of the Ziliski Alatu, Lake Isach, was preceded by a terrible mudslide.

[00:02:50]A great torrent of rocks and mud swept away everything in its path. Hundreds of people died. Buildings disappeared and the ancient lake itself was destroyed.

[00:03:03]On July 7, 1963, the Isslide was one of the largest and most destructive in territory of the USSR. A few years later, the restoration of the reservoir and the impacted facilities began. The famous discovery took place at the site of the construction of one of them. The Isich Korgan or Mount Complex is the setting for this impressive historical drama. It is a large scale necropolis consisting of 45 giant earthn pyramids reaching the height of 4 to 15 m. A tragic but typical fate for ancient burials befell most of these burial grounds. They were looted by grave robbers in ancient times. That is why the preservation of the side tomb of one of the mounds untouched for more than two millennia before before it was studied by Soviet Kazak scientists in 1970 has become a miracle of archaeology.

[00:04:14]Let me read you from the order number 54 from the directorate of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Kazak, Soviet Socialist Republic dated April 21, year 1969 to send an expedition to Isach for a period of 10 days consist consisting of B Nur Muhan Bettov a junior researcher at the department of archaeology.

[00:04:44]Omidv a photographer engineer and P son an artist. The front of the prescribed work is the demolition of two mounds of the Isk burial ground.

[00:04:59]There are about 50 Saka mounds on the left bank of the Isk River under the guidance of renowned archaeologist Kamal Akishv.

[00:05:10]The experts worked for two seasons on several toms. The excavations did not please anyone. The mounts turned out to be looted. And so when all the work was already being curtailed, archaeologist Beckan Nur Muhan Bettov asked a bulldozer operator to demolish a layer of soil slightly away from the last mount. He became began to clear the indicated place. Suddenly a log popped out which turned out to be part of a wooden tomb in which remains of an ancient nomad would be discovered a little later. Let me read you from the memoirs of archaeologist Beckan Nur Muhan Bettov year 1970 April 22nd the golden man shown and laid there. Why do you think I remember the date? 100 years since the birth of Vladimir Elish Lenin. It was an all Soviet cleanup day Subnik in Russia.

[00:06:20]I described this cleanup. All the participants of the cleanup were about were around this grave. See, he was referring to the so-called subotnik days of volunteer and paid work on weekends um after the October revolution in the Soviet Union. The unique methods of disguising or quickly sealing the tome made it possible to preserve not just artifacts but an entire carceral archive of the Saka elite.

[00:06:53]However, in addition to untold treasures, the discovery also brought a great scientific mystery that has kept historians and the public in suspense for decades. From the very first research, a fundamental scientific dispute arose. Who actually rested in this magnificent sarcophagus?

[00:07:17]Camil Kamala Kishv, the head of the excavation based on the study of the bone remains claimed that it was a young man 18 to 20 years old. But the tom's inventory, which included both weapons and female household items, instantly questioned this gender attribution, offering a sensational alternative.

[00:07:41]Per perhaps it was a powerful step like in grassland warrior who became proof of the existence of legendary Amazon in the heart of Eurasia. Um, you should, by the way, see my uh video uh about the Amazon of uh Eurasia. I think you'll like it.

[00:08:02]Anyway, this unresolved duality is the key to the enduring popularity of the golden man. To understand the status of the buried person, it is necessary to turn to the culture that gave rise to it. The golden man belonged to the Saks, eastern Skiththeians, powerful nomadic tribes of the first millennium before common era who dominated the vast expanses of Eurasia.

[00:08:32]The Sakas they were skilled herders and warriors whose influence stretched from the Black Sea to China.

[00:08:42]you you by the way also take a look at my uh videos about socks and about skiffs. I think you'll like it. Their unique artistic heritage known as the animal style is a complex system of mythological images embodied in gold, bronze and wood. For the Sak or Saka elite, the mounds lavish earth and pyramids were not just graves. There were artificial mountains that imitated the cosmic model of the world and were the resting place of kings, leaders, and the highest nobility. The creation of such a burial was the guarantee of successful rebirth in the afterlife, which explains the incredible wealth and symbolic complexity of the found inventory. The discovery in Simia oru territory confirmed that this region was one of the key centers of Saka statehood and high cultural development. The study of the Isik mound under the leadership of Kimar Akes be marked the turning point in the archaeology of Kazakhstan. The uniqueness of the find lays in the specifics of the tomb itself.

[00:10:08]The side chamber located next to the main one, which as usual was looted a long time ago remained untouched. Its perfect condition made it possible to preserve not only metal but also organic materials for example silk and most importantly all the artifacts remained in their original places making it possible to completely reconstruct the funeral right and the social status of the deceased. The discovery which occurred during the Soviet era initially had great scientific but limited political significance. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union after 1991, the role of this artifact went beyond far beyond the academic environment because Kazakhstan became an independent nation. Well, let's look at the official state description. The golden man be has become an tangible undisputable proof of the antiquity of statehood on the territory of Kazakhstan in the context of the formation of modern Kazak national identity. This artifact acts as a powerful symbol of cultural continuity going back directly to the great nomadic empires. The proof of deep roots not only draws attention to the country's history but also contributes to the broad international interest. Well, let me contribute this to to the broad international interest through my video.

[00:11:51]It is also surprising that this find has reached us at all since the plundering of burial mounds is not uncommon. Most often after looting raids, archaeologists were left with only ancient household items. And here is a whole warrior in armor completely covered with gold plates. His head was decorated with a tall pointed head with the image of wing horses, snow leopards, taote, mountain goats, various birds, etc. By the way, pointed heads are an indispensable attribute of the Tigrauda sacks to whose stripe the golden man belongs. The number of gold arnaments on the young warriors cuffed on is amazing.

[00:12:40]About 4,000.

[00:12:43]Wow. and on his headdress 150. Over 4,000 gold beads and plates were found in an untouched grave. There was also a hand handbag with remnants of okri, a mirror, rings, an earring, a neck ring, weapons, and various vessels.

[00:13:06]It is important to note here that the is kuran or mount has already been robbed twice in different centuries. But the thieves did not even think that there was still a side burial. In addition to the ancient remains, archaeologists found pottery, vessels made of gold and silver, and trace of meat in the same niche. Another mystery of the Isich mound is the mysterious runes on the silver ball. It was lying at the head of the golden man and apparently 20 signs spoke about the one who found eternal peace there. Does this mean that the Saks or Sakus had a written language two and a half thousand years ago?

[00:13:59]Then this puts the step civilization at a very hard high level of development.

[00:14:06]Similar signs were found in various language groups of that time and it has not yet been possible to exact to establish exactly what is written there. Although deciphering is still underway, scientists from different countries have already proposed 25 variants of deciphering ancient runes, but they have not come to a consensus.

[00:14:36]It is also likely that the ball was imported from another country.

[00:14:41]His weapons included a sword and a dagger decorated in the traditional Saka animal style with the images of foxes, wolves, saigas, mountains, sheep, snakes, etc. The animal style jewelry and pointed headdress find gave a clue. Two and a half thousand years ago, different saka tribes lived on the territory of the simia and archaeologist Kimar Aisha was actually the one who suggested that the nomad found was a tigrauda saka. During the extraction of the remains, the skull was severely damaged. And for unfortunately, we're not we're now unlikely to find out what Alin Adam's face was like. He was about 18 to 25 years, about 165 cm tall.

[00:15:38]He probably lived in the fourth to fifth century before common era. Let's look more at the official look at the find at this find. What is commonly referred to as the golden man costume is actually the most complex ritual vestments demonstrating the technological superiority of the Saka jewelers. The total number of gold ornaments exceeded 4,000 items which were soon onto the clothing creating a striking effect of a scaly all gold robe. These gold plates were not made in a primitive way. They indicate the availability of specialized workshop shops and a developed economy. The artisans mastered such complex techniques as the finest coinage, filigree, die casting, and foiling. Each plate depicting animal was made with a high degree of detail. The ceremonial outfit decorated with gold in such a huge amount huge amount symbolize not only high status but also probably ritual protection. Excessive wealth was supposed to guarantee the success and well-being of the deceased on his journey to the afterlife which speaks to the extremely complex and rich beliefs of the Saka aristocracy.

[00:17:04]The key element of the whole decoration is the tall conical headdress which has become one of the most recognizable images of Kazakhstan. It is stuffed with golden images of flying animals, birds and mythological horses.

[00:17:22]You should see my uh video about the flying um horse and the legends associated with it from another part of uh of Eurasia, but this one is in Russia. Anyway, this headdress is not just an ornament, but a model of saka cosmology that divides the world into three levels. Heavenly, birds, earthly, man, animals, and subterranean.

[00:17:51]All the clothing are literally populated with symbols of Saka mythology made in that famous animal style.

[00:17:59]Um the main symbols again include leopards representing strength, authority and patronage as well as mountain gods and argali associated with mountain spirits and the ancestral world. Does the costume symbolize the status of not just a leader or warrior but a mediator, an intermediary between the world of the living and the world of the dead who possessed sacred power which was necessary to maintain order in a nomadic society. It is the identity of the buried man that remains the most intriguing and unresolved issue which ensures constant interest in the golden man. The data obtained in 1917 turned out to be contradictory which inevitably led to the formation of two main hypothesis.

[00:18:54]First hypothesis arguments in favor of the young men. That's Akishv's.

[00:19:02]Shortly after the discovery, the head of the excavation, Kamala Akishv, issued his verdict. Based on the initial morphological analysis of the bone remains, he claimed that a young man aged 18 to 20 years was buried in the tomb. The key evidence was a large lower jaw with a thin jaw joint, which Akishv considered a typical masculine trait.

[00:19:29]This hypothesis corresponded to the traditional ideas that the central richest burial mound should belong to a young high status hair or leader. From an interview with the anthropologist Isma Gulava from May of 210, 2010. The Lord Joe was quite slander, thin and large at the same time. It is a rarity for a woman. The brow brow ridges and nasal bones made it possible to say that the remains found belonged specifically to a man. But there's always an element of doubt. And so we come to the second hypothesis.

[00:20:14]Arguments in favor of the Amazon from the steps.

[00:20:19]Burial inventory contains artifacts that strongly challenge the hypothesis of a male or man. The strongest argument is the presence of objects that are difficult to explain in the context of the male burial of that era. A silk handbag containing a bronze mirror and red or a pigment that was probably used as blush or body paint. It was found in the tomb.

[00:20:48]In addition, the presence of weapons, a sword, and a decker next to the deceased is not an unambiguously masculine sign.

[00:20:58]Historical parallels and finds in other regions indicate that Saka and Smatian women often held high military posts and like Amazon fought, rode horses and shot arrows.

[00:21:15]Does a weapon in this context can serve as a proof of women's high military status? You got to see my video about those Eurasian Amazons. You will see what was happening in Central Asia too.

[00:21:30]This conflict between skeletal morphology, the subjective interpretation of 1970, and objective funeral equipment, cosmetics, requires a departure from rigid gender stereotypes.

[00:21:45]If it was a man, then he used objects traditionally associated with feminine grooming, which revolutionizes our understanding of Saka masculinity. If it was a woman then her physical structure was large enough to be mistaken for young man and she had the status equal to the highest male leader which is the direct confirmation of the myths about the step Amazon.

[00:22:11]Thus the Saka society judging by the findings did not follow the patriarchal models of sedentary civilizations status and the right to elite gifts were available to women from the upper strata. So was the golden man a young man or a young woman? This is the most persistent question. All the finds from the grave can be interpreted in both in favor of the first hypothesis and the second. For example, trousers and weapons were also worn by nobas nomads in ancient times. Burial vessels similar to those found in the Isk mount were found in the graves of Sarmatian priestesses. And the famous headdress of the Isk men resembles a headdress found recently in the Taxi complex that's in western Kazakhstan. It belonged to the golden um woman or she is called Alin Kaiim.

[00:23:13]Over this over the years the popular rumor went further. No other than the legendary Tomiris, the queen of the Masagetai who killed the Persian king Cyrus was buried in that royal burial mount or another Saka ruler Serena who according to legend was buried at the grave. Soviet science, which did not know modern methods of DNA research, could not determine for certain. Of course, perhaps a new examination of the remains of the golden man would shed light and put an end to the controversy or whether a woman or a man was buried in the ancient burial mount. The finds in the sign tomb are amazing, but the main twice looted burial still haunts scientists.

[00:24:11]Uh the clothing and burial complex of the isk man indicate that he belonged to the very noble nomads, the royal elite.

[00:24:22]But if such honors were awarded to the deceased in a side burial, then who could lie in the main grave? The golden woman, the golden man has a kamcha in his hand. Kamcha or kamchi is a traditional whip um among the Turk peoples which has served as an important cultural symbol and talisman good luck charm for many centuries. Then where is his horse?

[00:24:58]um and then also recalled the devastated man's burial. Again, of course, after the death of the owner owner, the animal was not always sacrificed. But in the east of Kazakhstan, there's a burial site of about the same period and status. The Saka elite rested in the Buril mounds. There, along with human remains, lie the remains of horses fully equipped in special masks. After all, a horse is a faithful friend and eternal companion of the nomad. An unusual detail is that one is one is one of the golden rings of the Isich man. Listen to this. Seems to be depicting an Indian as a Native American as explained in the program um which interviewed restorer Kim Alin Beekov. It is an image of an ancient deity, the god Mitra.

[00:26:06]The examination showed that the jewelry was worn for a long time and even repaired several times. Finally, what most Kazakhstan do not suspect is that the golden man was found in one of the mounds near the current is museum reserve. In fact, after the excavation was completed, the famous is mound was raised to the ground and then an automobile enterprise was built in this place. ESI State Historical and Cultural Reserve Museum.

[00:26:40]Well, the visitors like it, but I've heard that most of the exhibits have been moved to Astana, to the city of Aana. Most of those in the museum are replicas, but it doesn't mean it should not be visited. If you are ever in the area, there is so much more in Kazakhstan. Look at my videos. Just do the word search Kazakhstan.

[00:27:04]It's a nonending quest of finding more strange sometimes paranormal phenomena in that country and I'll continue it and we'll bring you more videos on this subject. If you like my research, please support in the links you find in description to this video.

[00:27:24]Please like my videos. Please subscribe to my channel. Please tell others. Thank you.