A unique archaeological monument, a geoglyph in the form of a cubic parabola, reaches 500 meters in length.
Local historians of Semey made their discovery not far from the Semey-Tau mountains. 15 mounds formed a line in the form of a cubic parabola. Each mound is about three meters in diameter. Local historians told reporters about their find at a briefing.
“In 2014, I discovered an unusual geoglyph. On the steppe plain there were 15 mounds, which formed a line in the form of a cubic parabola. When you are near this complex, you are unaware of its size and shape. Only from a bird's eye view the whole scale of the picture is revealed. The curve of the mounds stretched for almost half a kilometer,”said Marat Sasanov, chairman of the Priirtyshye local history society.
According to Marat Sasanov, the creators of the geoglyph could perform complex mathematical calculations. If any of the 15 burial mounds are moved by at least one meter, the parabola line is broken.
Screenshot of Google Earth service
Near the cubic parabola, archaeologists have discovered a royal burial mound three meters high and 25 meters in diameter. But he was plundered.
Bronze belt buckle / Photo Informburo.kz
Nevertheless, local historians have found an interesting item - a bronze belt buckle. Presumably, it belongs to the early Iron Age (first millennium BC).
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Local historians wonder about the origin and purpose of geoglyphs. So far they are voicing two versions. The first hypothesis is that the geoglyph was created for ritual purposes. The second hypothesis is that the complex of mounds was used for astronomical observations.
“Perhaps the ancient people who inhabited these places had knowledge in astronomy and followed the phases of the moon, the round dance of the constellations and the ecliptic of the sun,” local historians suggest.
The true purpose of the unique discovery is yet to be clarified by the members of the local history society.