Early Nomads Research Articles

Three Sarmatian Daggers from the Foot of Toratau Mount

Three Sarmatian daggers found during plowing a field at the foot of Toratau Mount in the Southern Urals are published. Their detailed description is given. It is stated that two daggers bear the signs of the early Sarmatian type of bladed weapons. They date back to the 3rd–2nd centuries BC, their discovery confirms the fact of active resettlement by the Sarmatians of the right bank of the Belaya River at this time. The third dagger bears a number of archaic features, has close analogies among random finds in the Prokhorov cemetery and on the left bank of the Belaya River. It dates back to the 4th–3rd centuries BC. It is noted that the left bank of the Belaya River is the main territory of settlement of early nomads in the Southern Urals. The description of the topography of the daggers found in the site is given. It is shown that according to its physical and geographical characteristics, this territory is a closed valley, bounded on all sides by the river, the Turatau and Kushtau Mountains, and gentle ridges running along the Belaya River. It is concluded that in this case, the “valley” version of the settlement of early nomads was implemented, as well as that the settlement of the right bank of the Belaya River occurred, apparently, from its left bank. This territory was a natural periphery of the settlement of nomads in the Southern Urals in the second half-end of the 1st millennium BC.

CERAMIC STAMPS FROM VILINO (RASSADNOE) — IN PERIODIZATION AND CHRONOLOGY OF THE SITE (SOUTH-WESTERN CRIMEA)

This paper is devoted to the publication of amphora stamps discovered during excavation at the settlement of Vilino (Rassadnoe) in 2008—2014.
 During the research of the settlement the eastern border of the ancient estate and the main chronological framework of the settlement life were ascertained. The stone monumental structure was discovered in 2008. This is the cistern for collecting and storage of rainwater. In the Late Scythian time it was used as a burial structure (crypt).
 Ceramic stamps found at the site are represented by such centers as Sinopa, Chersonesos, Rhodes. Unfortunately not all of them were discovered in the cultural layers (in situ) and some were found in disturbed layers, at the surface or in the looter’s holes. Nevertheless, with a lesser or greater degree of probability, it’s possible to correlate them with the chronology of the settlement and periods of its life.
 On the excavated areas of the site four building periods (A—D) were observed — two Classic and two Late Scythian. The first period is associated with the time of activity of the Greek fortified estate (Chersonesos Сhora) from the last quarter of the 4th to the early 3rd century BC. In the second period, after a break, the population has come back to the settlement in the last quarter of the 3rd century BC. There was the period of recolonization during which the restructuring of the settlement has carried out. At the end of the first quarter of the 2nd century BC the life at the settlement was stopped. The next two periods correspond to the Late Scythian culture. However, the layers and building remains of the late 2nd century BC — 1st century AD was destroyed by plowing and looter’s holes. The upper horizon of the settlement contains the material from the 1st—3rd centuries AD.
 The stamps and other archaeological material are important chronological indicators of the archaeological site in the system of the Chora of Chersonesos and in the whole Western Crimea.

PECTORAL FROM TOVSTA MOHYLA AS A REMINISCENCE OF THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES: SEARCHING THE ORIGIN OF IDEA

Pectorals in form of breast decoration of a moon-like shape were not peculiar for the Scythian culture. Many ideas on manufacturing the pectoral, which was found by B. Mozolevsky in 1971 during the Tovsta Mohyla excavations, were borrowed by the craftsman from the other culture environment. By the opinion of many researchers, the influence of different traditions of the ancient Greek art is easy-to-see in the pectoral’s composition. Besides, it is inheriting in frieze forming similarelly to sculptural compositions fronton of the Parthenon, borrowing motives of floral ornaments, coin plots etc. But the creative work of the author of pectoral could have been influenced not only by decorative art but the literary monument too. To the latter the Homer’s «Iliad» can be named, especially its 18th playsong, which describes Hephaestus manufacturing the Shield of Achilles. It is interesting that the Pectoral from Tovsta Mohyla was compared with the Shield of Achilles by many researchers (I. V. Yatsenko, L. A. Lelekov and D. S. Rayevsky, V. Y. Mukhaylin). As at its core both Shield of Achilles and the pectoral are pieces of art of high artistic merit, which represent world cosmologic pictures with the help of the opposite action areas made with high relief figures. The breast collars, which are widely known by the findings of Thrace and Macedonia, could lead to generation of ideas that influenced the pectoral’s invention. Such breast collars actually were small hanging shields, which protected in battle the warrior’s weakest spot. By their form and functions they are close to peltes — light skin shields of a moon-like shape. Such peltes were not only well known by toreuts who worked on the Scythians’ orders, but also were recreated by them in battle-pieces on the comb from Soloha and on the calathus from Vylyka Blysnytsya. So it can be considered that the pectoral’s conception was based on the different but connected ideas, borrowed by the craftsman from the military sphere. As a result of the composed transformation of the association chain the Shield of Achilles — Peltes shield — breast collars (or vise versa) and synthesis of several ideas, there was formed a general vision of the pectoral with the corresponding shape, composition structure and separate ornamental patterns.

Finno-Ugric elements in the art of the early nomads of the Southern Urals

Introduction. Arterfacts, which are a part of the burial equipment, especially of a cult nature, are a ethnocultural, social and ideological markers of the population and time which they belong to. The research in the area of penetration of foreign elements into the sphere of religious and mythological representations can reveal new aspects of the interaction of nomadic and sedentary worlds of Volga-Urals area. This article refers to elements of Finno-Ugric art and ideology, which are reflected in the art of the early nomads of the Southern Urals, in particular, in the images of stone altar altars, specific cult objects. Materials and Methods. The article is based on employing the methods of comparative and semantic analysis, as well as cultural approach for archaeological materials. Results and Discussion. The belonging of stone altars to the objects of the priestly circle allows considering their images as a reflection of religious and mythological representations of early nomads, as well as the level of their cultural contacts with neighboring tribes. Images of a wolf and a bear on the altars can reflect both their own and borrowed ideas. Conclusion. Based on the comparative and semantic analysis of the images on the altars, their territorial binding and the time of operation, comparison of them with other objects of the burial circle of early nomads, we conclude that there are regular contacts of different nature of Finn-Ugric and Iranian-speaking population, which had a serious impact on the sacred sphere of life of the nomadic tribes of the Southern Urals.

영화 〈토미리스: 전쟁의 여신〉을 통해 본 스키타이 문화와 샤머니즘 고찰

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively discuss the Scythian culture, the archetypal female hero image, and the shamanistic tradition in the Kazakhstan film The Legend of Tomiris directed by Akan Satayev.<BR> In general, historical and literary works tend to portray women as passive images. In traditional societies, women were portrayed in a distorted form from a man’s point of view. For example, the woman depicted in mythology has the image of a fragile and submissive who needs the protection of men. These distorted images of women were constantly enlarged and reproduced in various literary works and myths.<BR> In particular, in the process of male-centered modernization, prejudices and distorted perceptions of women have deepened. The socio-educational function of the image of women fixed and biased by men since ancient times can be defined as symbolic violence. Distorted images or stereotypes of women undermined women’s subjective abilities and reduced women’s roles to a limited area of role. However, the image of women in ancient society is different from the existing fixed image of women. It is different from the image presented in modern and contemporary society.<BR> The female hero, Tomiris is one of the figures who excelled as a leader and a warrior in the ancient world while standing proudly against men. Tomiris is a real person who actually existed in history, and was a valiant female warrior who prevented the invasion of the great empire of Persia. The necessity of discussing the archetypal female hero is because through the image of the female hero of the ancient nomadic society, it is possible to understand the characteristics and abilities of various women beyond the existing distorted female image.<BR> Tomiris is a female warrior and heroine who overcomes all kinds of adversity and hardships and unites the nomads of the steppe to face the invasion of the Persian Empire. In other words, the movie The Legend of Tomiris breaks down the stereotyped image and prejudice against women and induces a new cognitive awareness of women.

The genesis of the culture of the early nomads of the Shelek-Talgar interfluve South-Eastern Zhetysu (on the example of the Ornek and Turgen burial grounds)

The territory of Zhetysu is distinguished by a unique concentration of monuments of the Saka time of the I millennium BC. The funeral rite is one of the key elements of the culture of any ethnic group. Funeral and memorial complexes of the Saka time on the territory of Zhetysu are relatively well studied today. Despite significant achievements in recent decades, the cultural and chronological aspects of the Saka cultures are little developed, where the design features of funeral monuments play an important role. The purpose of our research is to determine the local features and trace the genesis in the burial practice of the Saka on the territory of Zhetysu. From a methodological point of view, the article contains, first of all, traditional archaeological research methods: mapping, planographic and stratigraphic observations, classification of clothing com- plexes, the method of analogies, formal typological analysis, elements and methods of statistics, the retrospective method. In the classical Saka time (V–IV centuries BC), the Zhetysu region was localized in terms of a funeral and memorial rite. There are changes in the funeral rite and inventory in general. Studying the design features of the mounds, we came to the conclusion about the local originality of the burial traditions of local tribes. The previously unpublished design features of the so-called “colored” mounds were noted. Key words: South-Eastern Zhetysu, Shelek-Talgar interfluve, early nomads, kurgan, construction, genesis.

Scythian Burial-Mound 7 in the “Vodovod” Group in the Lower Reaches of the Dniester River

Abstract Materials obtained during investigation of Scythian burial-mound 7 in the “Vodovod” group in 2017 near the village of Glinoye in the Slobozia District on the east bank of the Lower Dniester are published here for the first time. The burial-mound contained five burials – four in pits and one in a catacomb. The burials in pits had been deposited at the turn of the 4th century BC and the catacomb burial dated from the first third of the 3rd century BC. The graves belonged to ordinary members of the community but contained a fairly distinctive range of grave goods. It was made up of weapons (arrowheads and an axe) and horse harness (a bit and a cheek-piece), vessels (a wooden dish, hand-moulded pot and a hand-moulded bowl), tools (knives, awls, a needle, spindle whorls and an abrasive tool) and jewellery (rings, a metal bracelet, beads, pendants made of shell, oolitic limestone and canine teeth of dogs). In addition tassel-holders, a bronze mirror and a flint strike-a-light were found. A bronze ring from burial 7/2 reflects La Tène influence and the hand-moulded cup from burial 7/4 reflects Thracian influence on the material culture of the Scythians in the North-West Pontic region. In general the funerary rite and range of grave goods demonstrate the transformation of Scythian culture during the second half of the 4th and first half of the 3rd century BC.

Scythian Burials: The Problem of Localization of the Royal Mounds

The localization of the Scythian Gerros is still completely uncertain. The problems associated with it cover a wide range of currently unresolved topical issues due to both the state of preservation of rich burials and the lack of clear criteria for their definition, in particular, social ranking, i. e. issues related to the identification, number and location of the royal mounds. The study is based on the logic of the general scientific inductive and deductive method as the conceptual core of obtaining the initial and inferred knowledge about the object of our research – the localization of the mounds of the Scythian kings, the subject of which is the general cultural and archaeological signs of the Scythian kings’ mounds. We have come to the conclusion that the use of craniological studies of anthropological material from burial monuments located within the Scythian “square” of Herodotus, for their proximity to the Tuvan Okunevians will firstly allow us to identify and select the royal Scythians from the entire massif of Scythian material, then subsequent mapping of the data will make it possible to determine the area of their settlement. Secondly, with the help of craniological analysis, it will be possible to determine the burials of the Scythian kings, which should contain homogeneous anthropological material within the same burial room. Thirdly, in the process of searching for Scythian burials outside the steppe, we will also be helped by craniological studies of material that was not initially classified as “Scythian” due to the lack of clear criteria for its selection. Fourthly, the mapping of the burials of the royal Scythians and the systematization of all the signs of groups located in the same vector of their closest ties will bring us closer to solving an even more extensive problem – the definition of the concepts of “Scythian”, “Scythian culture” and “Scythian archaeological culture”. Keywords: Gerros, mound, localization, Scythian kings’ mounds, royal Scythians

Склеп с многократными погребениями III в. н.э. из могильника Опушки

The cemetery of Opushki is located at 15 km to the east of modern Simferopol, in the central area of the Crimean foothills. The site has been being excavated since 2003. So far more than 300 graves of various types have been uncovered. They belong to the Late Scythian, Middle Sarmatian, and Late Sarmatian archaeological cultures. There is one cremation complex appeared as a result of the Germanic migration to the Crimea. The complex under present publication belongs to a large group of burial vaults with a short dromos (entry corridor) of the Late Roman period; this type of crypts is found in various cemeteries of the Crimean foothills. Burial constructions of this type are associated with the mediaeval Alans’ ancestors who migrated to the Crimea from the North Caucasus. Although the earliest crypts featuring dromos appeared in the foothill area of the Crimean Peninsula in the first half of the 3rd century AD, most of burials in these constructions were made in the fourth century AD. Burial vault no. 158 has two interesting features. It contains multiple burials typical for the Late Scythian vaults of the 1st and the first half of the 2nd centuries. Such a phenomenon is encountered for the first time in the Late Roman vault. According to the analysis of the grave goods, the complex under study is one of the earliest or even the earliest short-dromos vault discovered in the Crimea. It was constructed in the second half (or at the end) of 2nd or very early 3rd century AD and was in use throughout the first half of the 3rd century. The results of research of this burial construction supply new materials for the solution of highly disputable problem of the Crimean vaults with short dromos origin and of the reconstruction of ethnic processes in the Crimea in the Late Roman period.

О предметах женской одежды с декорированными рукавами из могильника Филипповка I

During the archaeological study of the Filippovka I kurgan cemetery, several burial complexes were revealed containing items related to women’s clothing. The article analyzes the burials where these items were found intact – burial 2 of kurgan 1 and burial 4 of kurgan 4. As a result of comparing the types of sewn-on elements and their positioning in the burial, a certain similarity between the complexes was found, so it’s possible to draw a conclusion about the general appearance of the female clothing from the kurgan cemetery. In addition to the gold stripes made in the animal style, fragments of beaded embroidery decorating the sleeves of one of the clothing elements were found in burial 2 of kurgan 1. Protomes of deer marching in a row were depicted using regular and small beads of different materials on the sleeves. The article contains a description of the best preserved figures. Also, the first explorer of the cemetery A. Kh. Pshenichnyuk discovered in kurgan 1 a cache with a large number of gold patches on clothes as well as other items made of precious metals. Typological and stylistic similarity with patches from the burials examined allowed the authors of the article to make an assumption about the similarity between clothing from the cache and the burials. Specific features of the early Sarmatian animal style appear in the gold patches of clothing and the lining of wooden bowls from the Filippovka I kurgan cemetery. This allows us to assume that the entire set of implements with the Philippian animal style was made by order and matching the taste of the early nomads.

EARLY SCYTHIAN QUIVER SETS OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 6th CENTURY BC IN THE SOUTH OF EASTERN EUROPE

Quiver sets and and their associated grave goods are extremely important for studying different aspects of the Early Scythian culture, and, in particular, for determining the chronology of the Early Scythian period. This article is devoted to an analysis of quiver sets found in the south of Eastern Europe together with imported transport and painted Greek amphorae of the first half of the 6th century BC, which are represented by the Miletus, Klazomenai, and Theos production types. Burial complexes which include these items are located on the territory from the Kuban region in the east to the forest-steppe areas of the right bank of Dnieper in the west (Lebedi V, kurgan 11 burial 8; Novoaleksandrovka, kurgan 7 burial 8; Khapry, kurgan 1 burial 25; Bushuika, kurgan 2 burial 10; kurgan near the Kitaigorod village; Repyakhovataya Mogila, burial 2). Arrowheads, which are mainly represented by bronze socketed types, are characterized by significant typological diversity. Among the biblade and triblade arrowheads, several typological groups stand out. The distribution of some groups can be correlated use in the first half of the 6th century BC. Among the biblade arrowheads, these are specimens with an oval-shaped head and a long socket without a barb and barbed arrows with a vaulted blade, with a wide lower part and beveled ends for the blades. Among the triblade arrowheads, there are specimens with a tower-like head without a barb and the items with leaf-shaped heads. The latter arrowheads have a maximal widening of their lower section and the ends of the blades are often beveled as well as a long socket with a barb, which extends about half the length of the arrowhead. The importance of the above complexes lies not only in the presence of reliable chronoindicators (amphorae and some other objects), but also in informativeness and representativeness of the quiver sets, which makes them a trustworthy source for studying the peculiarities of the development of Scythian shooting arms in the 6th century BC.

Об антропологических связях скифов Северного Причерноморья и савромато-сарматского населения VI–III вв. до н. э.

Introduction. The article discusses the issue of possible connections of the Sauromat-Early Sarmatian population of the 6th – 3rd centuries BC of the Southern Urals, the Lower Volga region and the Lower Don with the synchronous groups of the Northern Black Sea region according to physical anthropology. This problem is directly related to the origin of the Scythians, which still remains controversial. The review of scientific literature has shown that the problem of anthropological relationships between these two groups of early nomads in Eastern Europe has not yet been considered. Methods and materials. Testing for the existence of models of ethnogenetic relationships was carried out using intergroup comparisons of craniometric data. Mass material on the early nomads of the Sauromat-Early Sarmatian period of the Southern Urals, the Lower Volga region, the Lower Don and the steppe Scythians of the Northern Black Sea region was processed by the canonical method, followed by the consideration of the proximity of Mahalanobis. For this, digital information on 48 male and 30 female craniological series was used. Results. The greatest morphological similarity with the eastern Sauromat-Early Sarmatian populations is possessed by an elite group from the royal kurgans (Aleksandropol and Zheltokamenka), as well as local groups from the Sivash and Nosak regions. In all compared groups, the type of ancient Eastern Caucasians prevails, which combined mesobrachicrania with a weakened horizontal facial profile at the upper level. Thus, the results of the study showed the presence of ethnogenetic relationships in the studied early nomads, which either confirms the hypothesis about the possible influence of the Sauromat-Early Sarmatian component on changes in the intragroup structure of the Northern Black Sea populations, or indicate the presence of a single genetic substrate of South Siberian origin.

Человек и степь в раннем железном веке. Итоги междисциплинарных исследований

Introduction. Recent archaeological studies deal with the integration of natural science disciplines. Such scientific interaction includes the reconstruction of climatic changes, human adaptation to the changing conditions of nature, study of sociocultural specifics in nomadic groups as well as rising archaeological cultures, with emphasis on the interconnection between the fluctuations of steppe environmental conditions and steppe populations. Analysis. The article presents the results of the carried out interdisciplinary analysis of classic and modern archaeological studies and natural science disciplines. This allows evaluating the specifics of different factors (paleoclimatic, sociocultural, etc.) influencing the “steppe-human” system in a new way. Such factors as registered climatic changes, spreading areas of archaeological cultures, mortuary funeral rites, results of paleoanthropological examination, written records and ethnographic data provide evidence to reconstructing different time-span events of early nomads’ history in one context. The reconstruction of historical reality shows quite strong correlation between the environment and specific features in the development of ancient steppe societies. Human has high adaptive abilities to changing factors. However, the steppe population mode of life is extremely conservative and it has practically never changed during the Sarmatian or Sauromatian history. Climate fluctuations over the steppe area influenced the demographic and social structure of nomadic society. During auspicious periods, nomadic communities became populous and active politically and military. If negative factors dominated, the population tended to decrease and the social structure tended to simplify. Critical indicators of aridization and humidization in Eurasian steppes are followed with the population outflow, which is evidenced by small amount of archaeological sites or even by vanishing of cultures. Results. Thus, the authors conclude that when studying archaeological sites of the Early Iron Age nomadic cultures, it is necessary to consider the steppe and human as a single organism responsive to changing and a strong impact of environmental and socio-cultural factors.

Scythian barrow 12 of the «Sluiceway» Group in the Lower Dniester

The article publishes and analyzes the materials obtained in the study of the barrow 12 of the «Sluiceway» («Vodovod») group near the Glinoe village, Slobodzeya district, on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The grave in a catacomb of the type I (undercut) was the main under the mound, and three other in the pits were secondary. A similar situation is extremely rarely recorded in the North-West Black Sea region. The construction of round cult pits accompanying the main burial is also noteworthy. The handmade pot with a beak from the children’s burial indicates the manufacture of special dishes designed for dispensing food during feeding. The finding of the miniature bracelet with a plate receiver in the burial of a child, apparently, indicates the Thracian influence on the material culture of the Scythians of the North-West Black Sea Region, at least from the second half of the 4th century BC. It was at this time that the published mound was built and graves were made under its mound. Materials from the barrow Glinoe / «Sluiceway» 12 and other, later, Scythian burials on the left bank of the Lower Dniester demonstrate that the Scythian culture of the North-West Black Sea region continues to maintain its originality not only in the second half of the 4th century BC, but also in the next two centuries.

Genealogical Myth of the Buryats of the Hori Tribe: Calendar and Ritual

The plot of the genealogical myth of the Buryats of the Khori tribe is studied in the article as a historical and cultural source reflecting ideological attitudes, which were also a historical fact. It has been established that the myth about the origin of the Khori-Buryats is the plot of the areal cosmogonic myth. It is stated that the historical-genetic and cultural-semantic interpretation of the main events of the myth, when identified with information from archaeological, historical, ethnographic, folklore and linguistic sources, makes it possible to see in the plot of the myth the cult of the sun, the type of calendar of the solar year caused by it and the model of calendar rites of the early nomads of the steppes of Central Asia. It was revealed that the plot of the myth came to the northern shore of Lake Baikal with the carriers of the culture of tiled graves — the ethnic ancestors of the Turkic-Mongol peoples with Indo-Iranian cosmological ideas expressed in the calendar, calendar holidays, calendar rituals and calendar culture in general. It is proved that the main events of the myth are reflected in the rock paintings of the Sagan-Zaba Bay on the northern coast of Lake Baikal. It is shown that the plot of the genealogical myth of the Khori-Buryats acts as a text of culture, which is a means of preserving information about the picture of the world, which in the traditional culture of the tribe was controlled by a rite. It is noted that the historical and cultural origins of the myth go back to the archaeological Scythian-Siberian culture of the Iron Age (VI—III centuries BC).

Религия и искусство репрезентации: символизм зооморфного стиля в Центральной Азии

Зооморфные изображения, найденные на значительном пространстве евразийского континента от Восточной Азии, Южной Сибири, Монголии, Тувы, Алтая, Казахстана до Поволжья, Приуралья, Кавказа, Причерноморья и относящиеся к сакской/скифской культурам, обладают как общими типологическими закономерностями, так и собственной спецификой. Как известно, сакский/скифский зооморфный стиль оказал исключительное влияние на культуру народов Центральной Азии, отголоски которого, словно эхо веков, можно проследить в материальной культуре и в настоящее время. &#x0D; В статье рассматриваются вопросы символической репрезентации религиозных представлений и верований на примере зооморфного стиля в искусстве Центральной Азии второй половины — середины I тысячелетия до н. э. В географическом и хронологическом плане анализу подвергаются артефакты и находки, относящиеся к так называемому сакскому периоду (оленные камни и херексуры, элементы конской упряжи, воинского снаряжения, ювелирные украшения и искусство в зооморфном стиле), найденные в Туве, на Алтае, в Семиречье.&#x0D; В методологическом плане данная репрезентация изучается на основе кросс-дисциплинарного подхода, с использованием элементов теории структурного функционализма в теоретической социологии религии (Т. Парсонс), семиотического подхода в культуре (Ю. Лотман) в их соотношении с уровнями развития и религиозными верованиями. Показывается, что в зооморфном стиле могут отражаться (в разной степени) элементы, относящиеся к различным религиозным верованиям, спектр которых широк — солярные культы, культы Неба, культ предков, зооморфные культы, магия, тотемизм, шаманизм.&#x0D; Делается вывод, что зооморфный стиль в искусстве и материальной культуре является синергетической репрезентацией древнейших и базовых религиозных представлений в целом; результатом своеобразной трансформации знака, через информацию и смысл, в символ.

Scythian Culture burial complexes of the Dnipro Left‐bank forest steppe: A multivariate analysis

This paper deals with the application of multivariate analysis to the classification of Scythian Culture burials of the Dnipro Left‐bank forest‐steppe region. Six types of burial complexes have been distinguished based on the analysis of a burial chamber, its orientation and grave goods set composition. In order to reveal probable trends, the impact of spatial, chronological and ethnic–social factors on the distribution of the analysed parameters was investigated.

The cultures of the Early Iron Age in China as a part of the Scythian World

The cultures of the Early Iron Age in China as a part of the Scythian World

Joint finds of knives and swords in burial complexes of the early nomads in the Southern Urals

The paper considers iron knives which have been found together with swords or daggers in burials of the early nomads of the Southern Urals. The aim of this work was to collect information about joint findings of edged weapons and knives and to determine the functional purpose of such bladed sets. This research uses data on seven joint finds of a sword/dagger and a knife in the early nomadic burials of the Southern Urals, originating from six burial grounds. The paper also addresses the issue of origins of this tradition. The functional affiliation of the object as a weapon has been determined by the localization of the knife directly on the sword or dagger in the military burial. Knives which have been found together with a dagger or a sword could represent elements of mili-tary weapons of the early nomads of the Southern Urals. Most likely, the sword scabbards had an additional pocket for knife on the frontal side. This explains the location of the knifes directly along the axis of the sword blade. Such knives probably were used as auxiliary weapons and only in a close combat. If knives are considered as a category of military auxiliary weapons, then their disappearance could be related to some kind of military «reform», expressed in appearance of heavy armed cavalry, distribution of spears, standardization of swords, daggers and arrowheads. The time of existence of such edged sets fits into the middle/second half of the 5th — turn of the 4th/3rd c. BC. A limited number of finds in the early nomadic complexes in the Southern Urals indicates a rather rare use of this weaponry element. The tradition of such edged kits possibly dates back to the nomadic cultures of Central Asia. The edged sets of a dagger and a knife have been found in tombs of the late stage of the Uyuk (Saghlyk) Culture (5th–3rd c. BC). The placement of a knife on the waist of the deceased (sometimes in the same scabbard together with dagger) during the Early Scythian and later periods suggests the conceptualization of knife as a weapon.

О ПЕКТОРАЛИ ИЗ КУРГАНА ТОЛСТАЯ МОГИЛА: ИЗ ОПЫТА ИЗУЧЕНИЯ СКИФСКИХ РЕЛИКВИЙ ГРЕЧЕСКОЙ РАБОТЫ

The uniqueness and complexity of the composition on the pectoral examined here, a piece gold jewelry from the Scythian burial mound Tolstaya Mogila, С. 4 BC, encouraged researchers to assume it held exceptional significance in Scythian culture, and the idea emerged that the pectoral belonged to a Scythian cult role, and this view has been developed in most studies. However, we do not have any information confirming ritual its use. The pectoral was found in the mound, but outside the burial itself. The plot of the main narrative depicted can be correlated with an ancient legend about the origin of the dynasty of the Macedonian kings, the Argeades. Its style and technical features do not rule out identification of the place of manufacture as Macedonia or Northern Greece. The “Scythian tradition” in modern scholarship allows for the exchange of Royal gifts, as well as military trophies, between Scythian and Macedonian (Greek) rulers. Still, many things remain unclear. The pectoral has no analogues either in the Scythian world, or in the Greek. Despite the correspondence of its elements and techniques with those of other works, the pectoral remains an exceptional and individual work of art, still unsurpassed in the complexity of its design and the quality of its workmanship.