Saka Jewelry: Society Reflected through Plaques and Microbeads

As part of Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 "Quality Education," a lecture titled "The Jewelry Art of the Saka: Society Reflected through Plaques and Micro-Beads" was held.

A PhD student from the University of Cambridge, Saltanat Amir, delivered a leadership lecture on the topic “The Jewelry Art of the Saka: Society through the Prism of Plaques and Microbeads” at the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Museology of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The lecture was attended not only by students, master's and doctoral candidates but also by the faculty’s scientific staff. The event sparked great interest, as Saltanat Amir emphasized that the jewelry art of the Saka culture reflects not only aesthetics but also the social structure of the society.

During the lecture, she noted that the jewelry of the Saka people served not only a decorative function but also played an important role as a marker of status and power in society. Gold items, in particular, were of great significance, crafted with extreme precision and demonstrating the technical expertise of Saka artisans. The technology of creating these artifacts and the chemical composition of the materials used are still being studied today.

The microbeads and plaques found in jewelry were considered special elements of the cultural and social structure of the Saka period. They provide valuable insights into the lifestyle, spiritual beliefs, and level of craftsmanship of the nomads. During the lecture, Saltanat Amir conducted an in-depth analysis of the scientific and historical aspects of the creation of these artifacts.

This lecture is expected to give a fresh impetus to new research in both domestic and international archaeology. Since the culture of working with gold held particular importance for nomadic peoples, the study of Saka-period jewelry is not only of historical significance but also opens new avenues for future archaeological explorations.