Archaeologists have revealed Semiyarka, a 350-acre Bronze Age settlement on the Kazakh Steppe dating to around 1600 B.C.E. The site is the first on the steppe confirmed to have produced bronze and shows extensive evidence of organised metalworking. Researchers say Semiyarka likely functioned as a major production and trading centre, challenging the idea that the region was inhabited only by semi-nomadic groups. The discovery prompts a rethink of settlement patterns, technology and social complexity in Bronze Age Central Asia.
Bronze Age "City of Seven Ravines" Reveals Major Bronze Industry on the Kazakh Steppe
Archaeologists have revealed Semiyarka, a 350-acre Bronze Age settlement on the Kazakh Steppe dating to around 1600 B.C.E. The site is the first on the steppe confirmed to have produced bronze and shows extensive evidence of organised metalworking. Researchers say Semiyarka likely functioned as a major production and trading centre, challenging the idea that the region was inhabited only by semi-nomadic groups. The discovery prompts a rethink of settlement patterns, technology and social complexity in Bronze Age Central Asia.
05:55 AM, 11/19/2025Culture
A large Bronze Age settlement known as Semiyarka — the "City of Seven Ravines" — has been documented on the Kazakh Steppe, offering new evidence of organised metal production and long-distance exchange more than 3,500 years ago.
Key findings
Researchers from Durham University, University College London and Toraighyrov University present the most complete reconstruction to date of Semiyarka, a site dating to around 1600 B.C.E. The settlement covered roughly 350 acres, making it the largest known ancient site in this part of the steppe. The team reports clear archaeological evidence of large-scale bronze production and associated manufacturing remains, marking Semiyarka as the first confirmed bronze-producing centre on the Kazakh Steppe.
Why it matters
The discovery challenges long-standing assumptions that the steppe at this time was occupied only by small, semi-nomadic groups without organised industry. Instead, Semiyarka appears to have been a durable, organised settlement with specialised production — potentially a regional industrial and trading hub. The site's scale and the traces of metalworking suggest a well-structured metal economy and social organisation that call for revisions to models of Bronze Age steppe life.
Research context
Semiyarka was first identified by researchers at Toraighyrov University in the early 2000s but had not been investigated in depth until the recent international collaboration. The multidisciplinary study combines survey, excavation and artefact analysis to reconstruct the settlement's layout, economic roles and broader connections across the region.
"This is one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in this region for decades. Semiyarka changes the way we think about steppe societies," said Miljana Radivojević, lead author of the report and an archaeological researcher at University College London. "It shows that mobile communities could build and sustain permanent, organised settlements centred on a likely large-scale industry — a true 'urban hub' of the steppe."
Viktor Merz of Toraighyrov University, who first identified the site two decades ago and co-authored the report, added: "I have been surveying Semiyarka for many years with the support of Kazakh national research funding, and this collaboration has truly elevated our understanding of the site."
Implications and next steps
Semiyarka's material remains will be important for refining chronologies, trade networks and technological histories across Central Asia. Continued excavation and scientific analyses (including metallurgical studies and radiocarbon dating) are expected to clarify how the site operated, its links with neighbouring regions, and the social structures that supported industrial-scale production.
Bottom line: Semiyarka transforms our view of Bronze Age life on the Kazakh Steppe, revealing that complex, organised metal production and settled urban-style communities were present in this landscape much earlier than previously recognised.