ABSTRACT
Some 62 “animal burials” containing whole skeletons were discovered at Gonur Depe. They concern all kinds of animals. Such rituals were an integral part of the spiritual culture of the inhabitants. Three main types have been identified: (1) whole animals placed in graves and in related structures during the funerary ritual; (2) whole or dismembered animals buried independently, without direct connection with a human burial; (3) remains of burnt animal carcasses left on the site of their cremation and buried in their ashes. The animals played the role of a living funerary offering, or replaced the deceased, or were sacrificed.
