The Anthropomorphism Sun God: Cultic Representations in Kazakhstan

The slate cliffs of Kazakhstan bear evidence of an ancient Sun God cult, represented in anthropomorphic form, and worshipped two millennia before the start of the Common Era. There are no written documents to supply details of this cult or of the worship it entailed, but many engravings, especially at the cultic site of Tamgaly, show a humanised ‘Sun’, sometimes accompanied by a zoomorphic figure. It seems likely that there were processions up to these cultic centers, and that these beliefs were related to the changing of the seasons and patterns of the year.