An elite burial of the early Scythian period from the Chinge-Tey I kurgan: preliminary publication and research perspectives

Abstract

The article summarizes the materials of an elite burial discovered in Tuva in 2022. Grave 9 was the first burial, which was be explored under the ground structure of the Chinge-Tey I mound. A chamber with a transverse ceiling and a wooden floor was preserved at a depth of more than 4 m. It was not touched by robbers. A clay layer was founded between the crushed logs. A young man was buried here in the funeral pose typical for the Aldy-Bel culture. Despite of the total destruction of all organic materials thanks for the location of the golden items, it was possible to trace the decor and size of the man’s funeral suit and status items (pectoral, earring, and comb). The presence of a set of bronze arrowheads preserved part of the leather quiver, which were decorated with the gold overlays. There were found an iron weapon with golden appliqués and a whetstone in the burial. The most unexpected find was a completely preserved glass bowl. This object indicates some cultural relations with the distant western regions of the steppe belt and the centers of civilization. A preliminary analysis of the material allows us to date the grave to the middle of the 6th century BC — the time of transformation of the early Scythian Period traditions.