RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FEMALE HEADDRESS OF IV-III BC ON MATERIALS OF THE TASARYK MOUND IN EAST KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The article features a thematic scientifi c and historical reconstruction of a 4th-3rd century B.C. women’s headdress. The burial of a woman discovered during the construction of a road in East Kazakhstan was extracted from the excavation in a one-piece block and delivered to Scientifi c-Restoration Laboratory “The Island of Krym” for conservation and preparation for its museum exhibition in the present state. The clothing was not decorated with durable materials, and the only fi ndings comprised fragments of textile and traces of applications discovered with the use of X-ray technology. The complex headdress was better preserved due to the numerous wooden and golden foil decorative elements. The general contour of the headdress is rather clearly marked with a dark spot of decayed material. Fragments of a smooth wooden plate lying underneath the skull were identifi ed as an integral headband of the crown. The locations and fastening methods were identified for all decorations: an openwork image of a mythical bird standing on its feet surrounded by rods symbolizing fern in various stages of growth; plaques and beads. An examination of decayed material revealed a wig in the form of braids and the lower edge of a silk cover. Graphical research supported by experimental modeling allowed to perform a material reconstruction of the headdress with the use of new materials.