Late Medieval Period (14th—15th centuries).
Saka-Usun Period (5th century BC). This period is represented by a large mass of ceramics, primarily vessels with handles in the form of protruding flattened or conical appliqués. Such handles are characteristic of the eastern Fergana settlements of the Shurabashat culture. They are often found in burial mounds from the Saka period in Semirechye, including in the Pre-Issyk-Kul region. There are noticeable connections with the ceramics of Sarabulun and ceramics from Eastern Kazakhstan.
The painted pattern on a bowl from Sarabulun is identical to the motifs of the painted vessels from the burial grounds of the so-called Kulazhurgin stage (3rd—2nd centuries BC) of the ancient pastoralists' culture. Apparently, this was the time of the flourishing of the Sarabulun settlement. Among the metal artifacts from this period are bronze cauldrons on conical bases, a spearhead socket, and a gold hemispherical clothing appliqué.
Late Medieval Period (14th—15th centuries). A notable feature of the settlement's habitation is the significant gap (about 1500 years) between the last and the second chronological periods. The material culture of the last period is represented quite modestly: a few donets of hums and rims of cauldrons, two fragments of ceramics with blue glaze, and a bronze mace. It is likely that three stone cylindrical threshing rollers (threshers) should also be attributed to this period.
Thus, the Sarabulun settlement, which emerged in the 8th—7th centuries BC, existed until the turn of our era. At that time, the area of the Issyk-Kul lake mirror was much smaller than it is today. After a long hiatus, likely caused by fluctuations in the lake level, that is, its encroachment on land (transgression) and retreat (regression), a small late medieval settlement arose at the site of the settlement.
What do historians know about the peoples inhabiting the Pre-Issyk-Kul region in the 1st millennium BC? What place did they occupy in the history of Central Asia? Answers to these and other questions can be found in ancient writings.
Early Saka Issyk-Kul finds of the 8th—6th centuries BC.
