Abstract
High in the mountains of Eastern Qazaqstan, where the borders of four countries — Qazaqstan, China, Mongolia, and Russia — converge, the Berel burial ground is located in a picturesque valley. The site is composed of burial mounds dating back to the Early Iron Age (4th–3rd centuries BC). The necropolis has a history spanning more than a thousand years, remaining active during the Hunno-Sarmatian and Old Turkic periods. Study of the site began in the second half of the 19th century, and this year marks its 160th anniversary. This article, for the first time in Russian historiography, presents an analysis of the decoration of a ceramic vessel dating back to the 4th–3rd centuries BC from Mound No. 10 at the Berel burial ground. To date, no parallels have been found for this unique find, either in Qazaqstan or abroad. The extraordinary nature of this item lies in its unique decoration, which is believed to be associated with the cult of a female deity and fertility. In general, the issues of studying the ceramics of the Berel burial ground deserve a separate interdisciplinary study.