First revealed in spy photos, a Bronze Age city emerges from the steppe
The ancient city of Semiyarka, now reduced to a series of low earthen mounds and scattered artifacts on the Kazakh Steppe, was once a vibrant hub of activity 3,500 years ago. Recent archaeological surveys led by Miljana Radivojevic from University College London have uncovered the remnants of this Bronze Age city, revealing its extensive layout and industrial significance. Using advanced techniques such as drone mapping and ground-penetrating radar, Radivojevic and her team traced the outlines of a sprawling 140-hectare settlement that included residential areas, a large central building, and specialized workshops dedicated to bronze smelting and casting. This discovery indicates that Semiyarka was not just a simple settlement but a complex urban center where nomadic herders and settled artisans likely interacted, facilitating trade and cultural exchange.
The strategic location of Semiyarka, perched on a promontory with a commanding view of the Irtysh River valley, played a crucial role in its development. This vantage point allowed the city to control movement along the river, which was vital for trade and transportation in the region. The name “Semiyarka,” meaning “City of Seven Ravines,” reflects the geographical features that characterized the area, highlighting its unique landscape and the natural defenses it provided. As archaeologists continue to explore and excavate the site, they are piecing together the rich history of this once-thriving metropolis, shedding light on the complexities of life in the steppe during the Bronze Age and the interactions between different cultures that shaped the region.
Today all that’s left of the ancient city of Semiyarka are a few low earthen mounds and some scattered artifacts, nearly hidden beneath the waving grasses of the Kazakh Steppe, a vast swath of grassland that stretches across northern Kazakhstan and into Russia. But recent surveys and excavations reveal that 3,500 years ago, this empty plain was a bustling city with a thriving metalworking industry, where nomadic herders and traders might have mingled with settled metalworkers and merchants.
Radivojevic and Lawrence stand on the site of Semiyarka.
Credit:
Peter J. Brown
Welcome to the City of Seven Ravines
University College of London archaeologist Miljana Radivojevic and her colleagues recently mapped the site with drones and geophysical surveys (like ground-penetrating radar, for example), tracing the layout of a 140-hectare city on the steppe in what’s now Kazakhstan.
The Bronze Age city once boasted rows of houses built on earthworks, a large central building, and a neighborhood of workshops where artisans smelted and cast bronze. From its windswept promontory, it held a commanding view of a narrow point in the Irtysh River valley, a strategic location that may have offered the city “control over movement along the river and valley bottom,” according to Radivojevic and her colleagues. That view inspired archaeologists’ name for the city: Semiyarka, or City of Seven Ravines.
Read full article
Comments
