Kozhumberdy Cultural Group in the Context of the Concept of a Cultural Landscape and the Indo-Iranian Issues
This article focuses on the question of the formation of the cultural landscape of the Ural-Mugodzhar region in the Late Bronze Age (2nd Millennium BC). In the context of the Indo-Iranian issues is defined the special status of the Kozhumberdy cultural group which was local option of the Alakul culture of an Andronovo cultural and historical community. The reconstructed economic and cultural system developed on a base of a harmonious combination of cattle breeding, mining and metallurgical production with a support on ability of steppe and semidesertic ecosystems to regenerate with preservation of ecological function. The geographical accustomed factor is not only utilitarian, but also semantic and symbolical projections, thus cult objects are quite often served as right markers of Kozhumberdy paleo-population on limited vital resources. As a part of the compact archaeological residential districts formed by numerous settlements, burial grounds, excavations on copper (mines) there are sanctuaries with petroglyphs. The repertoire and iconography of Mugodzhar petroglyphs have no direct analogies in rock drawings of Eurasia, including the other territorial groups of the Andronovo community. It emphasizes the isolation of carriers of Kozhumberdy cultural complex. Semantics of the most popular phallic images and "bean-shaped" figures representing man's and female connected with a fertility cult, in line with the Indo-Iranian tradition has a convergence with magic practicing and a phallic cult of Atkharvaveda. Cult monuments of Кozhumberdy cultural group of the Ural-Mugodzhar region testify the existence among the Indo-Iranian population of the Central Eurasia steppes the alternative religious and mythological currents other than orthodox Vedic canons.