Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 54 (1) 2026   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2026.54.1.034-043

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Dogs in Funerary Practices
of Bronze Age Populations of the Ural-Kazakhstan Steppes:
The Case of Sintashta

P.A. Frikke¹, E.R. Usmanova^{2, 3}, and P.A. Kosintsev^{4, 5}

¹Independent Researcher, Germany

²Buketov Karaganda National Research University, Universitetskaya 28, Karaganda, 100024, Republic of Kazakhstan

³Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Pr. Dostyk 44, Almaty, 050000, Republic of Kazakhstan

⁴Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Marta 202, Yekaterinburg, 620144, Russia

⁵Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Ave. 71, Almaty, 050040, Republic of Kazakhstan

This article presents the results of a study of grave goods and the composition of sacrificial animals in burials of the Sintashta culture in the Ural-Kazakhstan steppes. Two burial samples (one including dogs and the other without dogs) were examined in order to test the hypothesis that individuals interred with dogs held a high social status. Particular attention is paid to the results of a correspondence analysis conducted to compare the funerary assemblages from 46 burials. Three groups of burials were identified. The first group comprises pits in which taluses constitute the most numerous finds. The second group includes burials characterized predominantly by ceramic vessels. The third group consists of graves containing multi-component assemblages. It has been demonstrated that in each group, so-called prestige items occur exclusively in burials with dogs. These items include bronze spearheads, bone spatulas, stone mace-heads, a bronze adze-axe (chekan), bone and bronze harpoons, as well as grinders and pestles. Additional indicators of high social status in burials with dogs include their location in the central part of a kurgan and the presence of pits associated with various elements of wheeled vehicles. Taken together, these features constitute recurring patterns of status-related characteristics, one of which is the inclusion of a dog in the burial rite. It is concluded that within the funerary practices of the Sintashta culture, the dog sacrifice was associated with a socially distinct group, provisionally defined as elite. We propose that this group includes herders and individuals connected with metal production. For representatives of these two economic spheres, the symbolic status of the dog held particular significance. The evidence suggests that the image of the dog was embedded in funerary practices and functioned as a symbol of protection over resources and people.

Keywords: Bronze Age, Eurasian steppe, Sintashta culture, funerary rites, dog sacrifice, animal husbandry