Image Credit: VK Merz and IK Merz

Bronze Age City Found in Kazakhstan Redefines Steppe History

Archaeologists have uncovered a vast Bronze Age settlement in northeastern Kazakhstan that may have been a major urban center 3,600 years ago. The newly identified city of Semiyarka, spanning 346 acres (140 hectares), is more than four times larger than other settlements from the same period and contains the region’s earliest evidence of large-scale metallurgy.
According to a study published in Antiquity, Semiyarka is the first known site on the Central Asian steppe with a dedicated industrial zone for producing copper and tin bronze — a crucial alloy of the Bronze Age. “Semiyarka transforms our understanding of steppe societies,” said study lead author Miljana Radivojević of University College London. “It shows that mobile communities were capable of building permanent, well-organized settlements centered on large-scale metal production.”
The settlement occupies a bluff overlooking the Irtysh River and a network of ravines, earning it the nickname “City of Seven Ravines.” Researchers believe its strategic position allowed it to control movement along the river and may have made it a hub of regional trade.
Drone surveys and excavations revealed two long rows of earthworks divided into smaller units, likely marking households built with mud-brick walls. At their intersection stands a much larger central building, possibly used for ritual or administrative purposes.
Southeast of the residential area, archaeologists discovered a concentration of ores, slag, and metal tools — clear signs of intensive metalworking. The ores were likely sourced from the mineral-rich Altai Mountains near the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, and China.
“The scale and structure of Semiyarka are unlike anything else we’ve seen in the steppe zone,” said co-author Dan Lawrence of Durham University. He noted that the city’s layout resembles planned settlements found in more traditionally urban regions of the ancient world.
Ongoing excavations aim to clarify the settlement’s role in regional trade and political networks, shedding new light on the development of urbanism in Bronze Age Eurasia.

Published on: 17-11-2025

Source: Live Science