he plaques were found in a barrow burial at Orlat, a necropolis close to the fortified city of Kurgantepa, northwest of Samarkand. In it, two bodies, a man and a woman, were inhumed. The grave had been looted, so the plaques were not in their original position. Some other items buried with the bodies were also removed, although the remains of a sword, scabbard, dagger and scabbard, parts of a bow, and arrowheads were still in situ. The plaques are usually dated within the period of decline during all the turmoil of Samarkand changing hands between various dominating cultures - from the second century BC to as late as the fifth century AD. However, no consensus has been reached on the date, culture, function, or even description of the plaques.
