RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY OF KURGANS "WITH MUSTACHES"
The article concerns the radiocarbon chronology of the kurgans “with mustaches” in the Central Kazakhstan and South Trans-Urals. 14 radiocarbon dates, published by now, allow us to conclude with a high degree of confidence (95.4%) that the kurgans “with mustaches” are dated from the first decades of 3rd century AD to the middle of 7th century AD. Grave goods, obtained from the central mounds, included the weaponry (three-bladed, rhombus-shaped arrowheads, quiver hooks, one-bladed weapon), ornaments in polychromic style, belt sets, Kushnarenkovo ceramics. Typologically, they agree with radiocarbon dates and clarify the low border of the 4th century AD. In some cases, <sup>14</sup>С dates illustrate the practice of the second using of the earlier mounds that can be confirmed by means of stratigraphic observations. Thus, the kurgans “with mustaches” can be defined as ritual complexes of the Ural-Kazakhstan nomads in 4th - 7th centuries AD.