The Katanda-2026 International Archaeological Expedition, conducted in the Ust-Koksa District of the Altai Republic, has completed its field research. A key outcome was the discovery of a new group of memorial structures—paired enclosures located to the west of last year’s excavation areas.

The main archaeological investigations focused on Katanda-I, one of the region's most renowned sites, first noted in 1865 by the distinguished researcher Vasily Radlov. For the second consecutive year, an international team from the Altai State University's Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies has been working at the site. Archaeologists from Kazakhstan and students from the Altai State University Institute of History and International Relations also participated in the expedition.

According to Nikolai Seregin, expedition leader, a REC leading expert, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor in the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Museology at Altai State University, isolated Turkic enclosures attributed to the First Turkic Khaganate were excavated last year in the northeastern part of the Katanda-I site. At that time, the team discovered exceptional finds, whose typological analysis combined with radiocarbon dating, enabled a secure chronology for the structures: the second half of the sixth to the first half of the seventh century CE. This dating is an important chronological benchmark, as it links the site to the early stage of Turkic history in Central Asia and the Altai Mountains.

"During the current field season, we unexpectedly discovered another group of memorial structures—paired enclosures located at a considerable distance to the west of the previously studied structures. It's possible that they belong to a later period and were erected by a different group of Turks. We have now the ability to refine the dating of these enclosures: the remains of a wooden post were found in the center of one of them, and horse bones were found between the structures, indicating a funeral feast. These finds enabled us to collect samples for radiocarbon dating," explained Nikolai Seregin.

The task is to determine whether the new enclosures are contemporary with previously studied structures or were erected at a later date by a different Turkic group. Radiocarbon dating is expected to resolve this question.

Memorial enclosures are small stone structures erected by Turkic communities in memory of their fellow tribesmen. These structures are exclusively memorial in function: they were not used for burials, but for the performance of rituals associated with honoring the dead. Such monuments are an important source of knowledge about the beliefs, social organization, and even migrations of ancient peoples.