Scholar and archaeologist Z. S. Samashev and his contribution to the archaeology of Kazakhstan

Abstract

This paper dedicated to the professional activity, scholarly achievements and contribution by Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor Zainulla Samashevich Samashev to the development of archaeology in Kazakhstan. In order to achieve the research objective, biographical and historical-typological methods were employed, which made it possible to examine the scientist’s work in a comprehensive way. For the first time, the article offers a description of archival collections and documents that make it possible to present a concise historiographical overview of the topic. A body of sources is also introduced into academic discourse for the first time, allowing the author to trace the professional and scholarly career of the archaeologist and to identify the factors that shaped his development as a prominent researcher, a specialist in the rock art of the Eurasian nomads, and an expert in the archaeology of ancient and medieval societies. The article also draws attention to the fact that the scientific work by Z.S. Samashev played an important role in the development of methodological approaches to the study of rock art and in the emergence of a national school of petroglyph studies that regards rock images as a significant historical source. In conclusion, the article notes the originality and importance of Z.S. Samashev’s archaeological discoveries, which brought Kazakhstan archaeology to a new stage of development and strengthened its position as one of the leading centers for the study of antiquities within the post-Soviet academic space.