Saki Memorials

On the Darhan and Saru riverbanks at a depth of 1.5 meters, excavation revealed a bronze dagger (akinake) and a bronze sacrificial bowl from the Saki period. Prior to this, archaeologists unearthed huge sacrificial bronze bowls and small sacrificial tables decorated with bronze animal figures on the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake.

On the shore of the present-day Barskhan village we discovered bronze pendants depicting wild cat muzzles (snow leopard or tiger), and underwater, bronze akinakes, pots and ceramic jugs (round-bottomed).

In 2003 in Kara-Oy bay, at a distance of 2.5 meters from shore and a depth of 5 meters, we took from the lake bottom two sacrificial bronze bowls in excellent condition. On the sides and bottom of the bowls, the bronze shone with colors ranging from lemon-yellow to reddish-yellow; there was scarcely any green-turquoise oxide. It is still a mystery how the handles of the bowls were brazed or welded on.

The most impressive finding was discovered at the bottom of the lake near Kara-Oy village. It was a bronze psalium: part of a horse bridle. The casting was made in the form of two predators’ heads looking in different directions, their jaws unnaturally stretched, their mouths open and jaws joined together with stylized teeth in the Saki “animal” style.

Spectrum analysis of bronze items from the bottom of Issyk-Kul Lake, alongside other indicators, shows that these items were made there.

Daggers (akinake), knives, sickles, weapons and tools were brought up from the lake bottom. They date back to the fifth and fourth centuries BC, the period of various nomad states of Central Asia: the Hun Empire, and the Kangyui, Davan, Usun and Kyrgyz states, which were recorded in Chinese written sources.

The findings confirm the spread of metallurgy and bronze casting among nomads in the first century BC and are witness to the presence of trade and handicraft centers. Cattle breeders were tied to those centers and maintained nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles.

From the bottom of Issyk-Kul lake, a gold-wire bar (predecessor of money), golden rings and other jewelry were brought to the surface.

The latest archaeological findings raise the question of the presence on the lake of antique settlements with advanced handicrafts and farming. It appears that the important Saki center was located on the lakeshore and later submerged. According to evidence, the following findings are of special importance: stone crafts, including wheat grinders and weapons connected with metallurgy.