Archaeologists have revealed Semiyarka, a 3,600-year-old settlement in northeastern Kazakhstan that spans about 346 acres (140 ha) and dates to roughly 1600 B.C. The site features planned earthworks, mud-brick household divisions and a large central building that may have had ritual or administrative functions. Excavations uncovered ores, slag and metal artifacts indicating organized copper and tin‑bronze production, likely using resources from the nearby Altai Mountains. Semiyarka's strategic bluff above the Irtysh River suggests it was a regional hub for trade and distribution, and further digs will clarify its wider role.
Bronze Age 'City' Semiyarka Unearthed in Kazakhstan — 3,600-Year-Old Metallurgical Hub Rewrites Steppe History
Archaeologists have revealed Semiyarka, a 3,600-year-old settlement in northeastern Kazakhstan that spans about 346 acres (140 ha) and dates to roughly 1600 B.C. The site features planned earthworks, mud-brick household divisions and a large central building that may have had ritual or administrative functions. Excavations uncovered ores, slag and metal artifacts indicating organized copper and tin‑bronze production, likely using resources from the nearby Altai Mountains. Semiyarka's strategic bluff above the Irtysh River suggests it was a regional hub for trade and distribution, and further digs will clarify its wider role.
02:08 PM, 11/18/2025Culture
Semiyarka: A Bronze Age urban centre on the Kazakh steppe
Archaeologists have uncovered Semiyarka, a large Bronze Age settlement on a bluff above the Irtysh River in northeastern Kazakhstan that dates to about 1600 B.C. — roughly 3,600 years ago. The site covers approximately 346 acres (140 hectares), more than four times the size of nearby contemporary villages, and offers new evidence that steppe communities could organize permanent, planned settlements.
Planned layout and public architecture. Drone surveys and targeted excavations revealed two banks of earthworks angled toward one another and subdivided into smaller enclosures. Mud-brick walls lined the inner faces of these banks, probably marking individual household plots. Where the rows converged stood a noticeably larger central building — about twice the size of surrounding units — which the researchers suggest may have served ritual, administrative or communal functions.
Evidence of large-scale metallurgy. Southeast of one earthwork row, archaeologists uncovered concentrations of metal artifacts, ores and smelting slag, indicating on-site metalworking. The team proposes this sector represents organized production of copper and tin-bronze, an important technological and economic driver of Eurasia's Bronze Age. Analyses point to ore sources in the nearby Altai Mountains, placing Semiyarka in a strategic position between mineral resources and river transport routes.
Location and significance. Nicknamed the "City of Seven Ravines" for its prominent bluff and view over interlocking valleys, Semiyarka's visibility suggests control over movement along the Irtysh and regional routes. The size, planning and specialized production areas contrast with the smaller, mobile camps typically associated with steppe societies of the period, indicating a more complex social and economic organization than previously recognized.
"Semiyarka transforms our understanding of steppe societies," said lead author Miljana Radivojević of University College London. "It demonstrates that mobile communities were capable of building and sustaining permanent, well-organized settlements centered on large-scale metallurgical production."
Dan Lawrence, a landscape archaeologist at Durham University and co-author, added: "The scale and structure of Semiyarka are unlike anything else we've seen in the steppe zone."
The study was published in the journal Antiquity (18 November). Ongoing and future excavations aim to clarify Semiyarka's economic, political and social role within the wider region and its connections to contemporary societies across Eurasia.