Reconstruction of the Costume Elements of the Shilikty “Golden Man”

Abstract

The article contains the reconstruction of the Shilikty “Golden Man” clothing based on multidisciplinary studies of the archeological material from the royal kurgan “Baigetobe” in the Tarbagatai foothills. The authors describe in detail the reconstruction of the anthropological appearance and the results of studying organic samples from the burial complex, as well as explain the final shape of royal attire and justify the details and components of the reconstructed costume. The methodological basis of the study is the systemic approach that allows one to view the categories of the Saka royal clothing as profound systems. Within the approach, the methodology and the recreation of ancient royal clothing rely on a wide range of analogies from Eurasian Saka-Scythian monuments and ethnographic materials. Based on these monuments and materials, the authors have established that certain elements in the clothing of early nomads of Kazakhstan have more in common with the clothing of neighboring tribes of Asian steppes in the early Iron Age. This is evident in the cut, detailing and the décor of clothing recovered from such monuments as Pazyryk, Katanda, Tuyekta and Akalakha. The methodological challenge to study clothing based on archeological data is primarily related to the condition of the source. The authors briefly characterize the organic probes from the kurgan burial chamber that have been studied using regular and digital microscopes and conclude that the clothing of the Shilikty Man was colorful. Within the framework of multidisciplinary research, the authors have conducted an anthropological study of the skeletal remains and the sculptural reconstruction of the person from the Baigetobe kurgan. Anthropologically, this person belongs to the mixed Caucasoid and Mongoloid type with prevalent Caucasoid elements, which agrees with the anthropological features of the ancient population of Central Asia in the early Iron Age. Therefore, gold jewelry, the quality of fabrics and the multilevel burial structure confirm the high profile of the Shilikty Golden Man. The conclusions and results can be used for the reconstruction of the composite image of the nomadic nobility in Central Asia in the early Saka period.