Abstract
This article provides a brief report on archaeological field research conducted at the site of Tasbas in the Bayan- Zhurek valley. We excavated the multi-period and a multi-component settlement and a Late Bronze Age burial ground at Tasbas. At the settlement we recovered the Bronze Age and ethnographic period stone dwellings, as well as numerous fire features and thin layers of clay floors. Two burials were found within the confines of the Bronze Age settlement, one belongs to Wusun Late Iron Age period and the second one was found in the Early Bronze Age layer of the site. The latter is a double burial found in a cave of the boulder that is connected to the prehistoric settlement; the burial ritual has no analogies within the Bayan-Zhurek and broader Zhetisu. In addition, we researched a burial ground located adjacent to the settlement. It consisted of 7 stone fences connected to each other; inventory consisted of ceramic items and bronze jewelry. The 2023 excavations yielded several new avenues for research into all periods of the site’s use. In terms of the EBA, previous research at the site had recovered a fire hearth feature with ritual offerings, raising questions as who the people were that initially settled in this place.