Early Sarmatian Burials from the Chechen Republic Territory

Abstract

In 2018, Kurgan 2 of Gvardeyskiye 3 Kurgany (the 3rd Gvardeiskiy Kurgans) in the Nadterechny District of the Chechen Republic was studied. In the result, nine burials were found in the Kurgan which was created during the Early Bronze Age and continued to be used in the course of the Middle and Late Bronze Age. However, the three most recent burials date back to the Early Iron Age period. The burials were localized inside the existing embankment and formed a compact group. In two cases, the burial type was not identified; nevertheless in one case, the burial was constructed in a catacomb. The grave goods are mainly presented by ceramic vessels from the workshops of the sedentary population from the foothill area of Central and Eastern North Caucasus regions. The conclusion was made that the investigated Kurgans were left by the nomadic North Caucasian steppes population of the 3rd–1st centuries BC due to the feature analysis of the Early Iron Age burial complexes.