On August 4, 2025, the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Berel (Katon-Karagai District, East Kazakhstan Region) hosted a scientific seminar entitled “Signs and Symbols of the Ancient Nomads of the Kazakh Altai.” The primary objective of the event was to reconsider the visual and communicative practices of early nomadic societies in light of contemporary archaeological data and semiotic approaches.

The program report was delivered by Dr. Samat Kairollaevich Samashev (PhD, archaeologist), project leader, who summarized the implementation and outcomes of the research initiative. The seminar was marked by active scholarly discussions involving researchers from Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Mongolia, which emphasized its international significance.

The proceedings underscored the importance of an integrated study of the sign-symbolic system of the ancient nomads, pointing to promising directions for further investigations in archaeology, cultural anthropology, and semiotic analysis.

Key Presentations

• Brief Report on the Implementation of the Scientific Program “BR22082478 – The Sign System in the Cultures of the Early Iron Age of the Kazakh Altai” – Dr. Samat Kairollaevich Samashev, PhD, archaeologist. State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Berel, Katon-Karagai District, East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.
• Assessment of Research on Turkic Tamgas in Anatolia – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kutlu. Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey.
• Contemporary Methods for the Study of Signs and Symbols at Stationary Archaeological Sites of Antiquity – Maksim Yurievich Polovtsev, archaeologist. Besterek Archaeological Research Center, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan.
• Scientific Issues in the Study of Monuments Bearing Tamga-like Signs of the Ancient Nomads of the Kazakh Altai – Prof. Zainolla Samashevich Samashev, Doctor of Historical Sciences. A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Astana, Kazakhstan.
• Representations of Totemic Animals in the Context of Semiotics – Dr. Oraz Sapashevich Sapashev, PhD in Philology. Istanbul University, Center for Eurasian Studies, Istanbul, Turkey.
• The Sign System in Saka Complexes of the Karatau Region – Dr. Sagynbai Serikbaevich Murgabayev, PhD, archaeologist. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Kazakhstan.
• The Current State of Research on Archaeological Complexes with Tamga-like Signs in Mongolia – Dr. Shynarbek Seitkhan, PhD, specialist in tamgas. Institute of History and Ethnology, Academy of Sciences of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.