The newly discovered bronze age site of Koken: Merging micro-regions with major study zones in the high steppes of Kazakhstan

Bronze Age eastern Kazakhstan sat at the intersection of two distinct cultural interaction spheres: the Eurasian Steppe and the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Despite its importance, the region has not been extensively researched by archaeologists. Recent fieldwork in the Kokentau Mountains in eastern Kazakhstan has uncovered a multi-period archaeological sequence, presenting an opportunity to document this crucial area in detail. We present preliminary data obtained from initial settlement and cemetery excavations at the site of Koken that contribute to ongoing research about economy and interaction in the Eurasian Bronze Age. The site's long occupational history, supported by radiocarbon dates, reveals shifting cultural patterns stretching from the Mesolithic to the historical period. Current and future research in the Kokentau Mountains can clarify the timing and local trajectories of Bronze Age economic and cultural transitions through the integration of evidence from ritual, craft production, and habitation contexts at a resolution rare for this region and time period.