Archaeology of Central Kazakhstan: Recent Improvement of Chronology Empowers Studies of Eurasian Steppe Prehistory

Kazakh archaeologist Emma Usmanova has been studying Bronze Age prehistory of the Eurasian Steppe and making significant contributions to comprehensive understanding of population dynamics and cultural evolution of the Steppe for the last 30 years. The first part of this talk is focused on the impact of absolute dating on the development of multidisciplinary research at the Lisakovsky archaeological complex, the key site of the Andronovo community in Kazakh grasslands. The second part presents an example of the chronology extension toward Medieval times using a recent discovery of a Buddhist burial site of Mongol warriors at Karasuyir.  These compelling examples offer insights into the Eurasian Steppe chronology improvement encompassed by radiocarbon and tree-ring dating.