Abstract
The article presents the results related to the preservation and use of archaeological monuments of the Issyk necropolis and adjacent sites with supplemented and updated data of objects of the early nomad era located south of the Esik-Talgar highway, as a rule, in the chain of the Rakhat-Orikty part of the Esik-Rakhat archaeological complex. In general, we can talk about the Esik-Rakhat archaeological complex, which, in addition to the protected area of the reserve-museum, includes new types of funerary and memorial monuments of the foothill zone of Zhetysu.The research touches upon issues related to the periodization of the Zhetysu region in the classical Saka period (V–IV centuries BC), social stratification, ideological representations and the main economy of the Saka tribes in the early Iron Age, which greatly contributes to the study of the spiritual and material culture of the ancient population of this region. At the same time, the authors note that in the historiographical aspect, analyzing the opinions of scientific researchers concerning the issues of periodization of the Saka time, Zhetysu is one of the most urgent tasks today. In methodological terms, the study used methods of cartography, planography and stratigraphic observations, as well as elements and methods of typological and statistical analysis. According to the structure and features of the structure, the monuments were divided into two types, into four groups according to the topographic location of the burial grounds. Key words: Zhetysu, Esik-Rakhat archaeological complex, Issyk necropolis, foothill zone, Saka culture, burial mounds.