Seasonality and social change in prehistoric Kazakhstan

In this dissertation, I explore connections between large-scale political structures and people's relationship with the local environment in prehistoric Semirech'ye, Kazakhstan. People living in the region during the Bronze Age have been described as living in relatively egalitarian groups and practicing mobile pastoralism, while groups living there in the Iron Age practiced agro-pastoralism. There is also evidence for a distinction between non-elites and Scythian elites in the Iron Age. I use faunal data and the results of a cementum annulation study to determine seasonal occupation patterns at three archaeological sites in the region: Tuzusai, Tasbas, and Begash. These datasets can be used to determine whether the distinction between Bronze Age mobile pastoralism and Iron Age agro-pastoralism is accurate. The cementum annulation data indicate that domestic animals were slaughtered year-round at all three settlements, which means that people would have been present at these places year-round. If some places were occupied year-round, at least some part of society was sedentary, thus the results bring into question the characterization of Bronze Age groups as mobile pastoralists. Furthermore, I found no change in occupation patterns between the Bronze Age and Iron Age. This lack of change through time suggests that the Scythian elites had little effect on the local economy, or on people's daily interactions with the natural environment. I argue that people must have managed their pastures in a resilient manner that allowed them to adapt their use of natural resources to the requirements of a new political system. If change occurred at the local level, the demands of the Iron Age elite must not have been overly burdensome on local systems of resource use. The idea of a new elite mapping onto (or emerging out of) extant governance strategies fits well with discussions of how nomadic states emerged in later, historic periods. Considering the nature of Scythian rule during the Iron Age adds time depth to the discussion of nomadic states, and helps us to understand the range of methods used to govern mobile groups.