Scythian Period Research Articles

Discussing about the ceramic with array-attached decoration found in Xianbei and the Sarmatian-Late Scythian period remains

There were some array-attached decoration ceramics had been found in Xianbei remains. Similar ones were widely seen in the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the Late-Scythian reimains in Crimea, the remains of the Bosporus Kingdom and the Samatian remains. This research discussed the types, evolutions and functions of this kind of ceramics. And according to the concerning burial structures, burial rites, accompanied objects and some other factors, it could give us a perspective to observe the the relationship between the Xianbei groups and the peoples in the Western Eurasian steppes. Сяньби болон Сармат Скифийн үеийн хэд хэдэн чимэглэл хавсарсан шавар вааран эдлэлийн тухай Товчлол. Сяньбигийн оршуулгаас олдсон хэд хэдэн чимэглэл хавсарсан шавар вааран эдлэлүүд олджээ. Үүнтэй төстэй чимэглэлийг Баруун Евразийн тал хээр, ялангуяа Крым дахь Скифийн хожуу үе, Босфорын хаант улсын үе, Саматын үед өргөн тархсан шавар ваар савны үлдэгдлээс харж болох юм. Энэхүү өгүүлэлд энэ төрлийн шавар вааран эдлэлийн төрөл, хувьслын талаар хөндөн авч үзнэ. Мөн оршуулгын байгууламж, оршуулгын зан үйл, дагалдах эд зүйлс болон бусад баримтуудаас үзэхэд Сяньбигийн бүлгүүд болон Баруун Евразийн тал нутаг дахь ард түмний хоорондын харилцааг ажиглах боломжийг бидэнд өгч байгаа юм. Түлхүүр үг. Сяньби, Сармат, Хожуу скифчүүд, Босфорын хаант улс, ваар сав, чимэглэл

Burial of the final stage of culture of the early Scythian period in Northern Altai

The article deals with materials excavated from kurgan No.35 of burial & memorial Choburak-I, their introduction into the scholarly discourse and cultural & chronological interpretation. This monument includes sites of various chronological periods and lays on the right bank of the Katun River. It lays south from landa Village, Chemalsky District, the Altai Republic. The monument was researched by the archaeological expedition of the Altai State University. The above-ground structure of kurgan No. 35 is a quite large mound fringed by a crepidoma. The grave is relatively shallow and found with an intact buried body. The body lays straight on the back in the burial chamber tiled with rocks. The body heads North-West. There are few accompanying tools discovered by excavations, namely a whetstone, a bronze knife and bone arrowheads. The burial ritual is explored and analyzed. The analysis shows that the site in the focus of the research is foreign to the mountainous Altai monuments of the Early Scythian due to the range of features. Morphological features of the tools and their available equivalents indicate that kurgan No. 35 was established in the late 7th through 6th century BC. Two samples are exposed to radiocarbon analysis in different laboratories. The findings support this chronology. Based on the determined dating and layout of the site researched it can be dated back to the late Biykenskaya culture. When it comes to the cultural attribution of the site, it is necessary to refer to the debatable issues of reconstructing the history of Altai population at the turn of the early Scythian and Pazyryk periods. The existing materials analyzed allow to assume that kurgan No. 35, as well as a range of other similar burials, is associated with the new groups of people arriving from neighboring areas in the 7th century BC. The study implies the features of a few more burials of Choburak-I necropolis established in the same time. Therefore, the research assumes that the Biykenskaya culture nomads used to come in contact with the Mayemirskaya culture tribes for the Altai North-West foothills

S-shaped cheek-pieces from burial mounds of the nomads of the Scythian period in the Southern Urals

The article is devoted to the presentation of the typology of cheek-pieces used by the nomads of the Southern Urals in the VI–IV centuries BC and received the name S-shaped in special archaeological works. The relevance of the development is due to a significant increase in the number of cheek-pieces of various shapes found in mounds that were studied in the territory of the specified region. The number of these pieces of horse harness currently published in the scientific literature is about 200. The S-shaped cheek-pieces discussed in the article are metal rods with two holes in the body for fastening to a rein and ends bent in opposite directions at an angle to the central part. The development is based on the typology published by K.F. Smirnov in 1961, who considered S-shaped cheek-pieces as one type, represented by three options. The types were identified based on a set of characteristics that formed specific combinations and characterized the material from which the cheek-piece was made, the general configuration of the object, as well as the nature of its decoration. A sample of 57 specimens of these bridle parts was used to write the article. It is proposed to distinguish 6 types of two-hole S-shaped cheek-pieces. The dates proposed by researchers for the burial complexes containing these objects made it possible to establish the time of existence of each type among the South Ural nomads. Nomads of the Southern Urals used such cheek-pieces from the end of the 6th to the 4th centuries BC inclusive. The article examines the features of the spatial distribution of types represented by the largest number of copies.

Scythian Dagger from Pilyugino village (South Urals) with Zoomorphic and Ornamental Hilt Decorations

The article publishes information about a series of daggers of the Scythian period from the Urals with zoomorphically decorated and patterned grips. They fit into a series of iron blades with similar decorations. This series has eastern origins, but is closely connected with the Southern Urals. Twelve daggers discovered in different years in the Southern Urals are distinguished by both a unified artistic program for the decoration of iron daggers and swords, and labour-intensive manufacturing. The hilts of the daggers bear heraldic schemes combining predators, traditional Scythian mythology and a unified visual tradition. This series of weapons belongs to the Filippovka cultural horizon of the 5th–4th centuries BC. The author considers this series of blades to be inherent in the Scythian culture and in no way connected with the culture of the historical Sarmatians. This culture formed in the Urals of the 6th–4th centuries BC. It is interpreted as a Scythian phenomenon that existed in the region until the late 4th century BC. In the historical context it can be identified with the culture of the so-called “deposited Scythians” of Herodotus. Chance finds of daggers may mark trade routes along the edge of the steppe zone along which caravan roads passed. These routes were controlled by the Scythian nomads. They used swords and daggers for ritual ceremonies (prayers to the god of war, or commemoration of fallen heroes, etc.). In such ritual places along trade routes, daggers were left behind, which explains why “accidental” finds of Scythian swords and daggers are so frequent in present days.

Golden Swords of the Early Nomads of Eurasia: A New Classification and Chronology

The “ceremonial” forms of swords and daggers—that is, bladed weapons decorated with precious metals—occupy a special place in the culture of the early nomads. For the Scythian period, we know at least 76 ceremonial objects from 61 sites, corresponding to 3.5% of the total sample. More than half of the finds come from the northern Black Sea region (mainly Ukraine). Ceremonial forms are represented in all morphological categories (from daggers to extra-long swords), but their distribution is slightly different. Most akinakai belong to the average and long swords. Most Scythian akinakai in Eurasia belong to the dagger and short sword groups. Although most Scythian swords and daggers fall into the Middle Scythian period, most ceremonial forms belong to the last phase of Classical Scythian culture. This period is a veritable “golden autumn” of Scythia with its huge royal burial mounds and abundance of gold, perfectly illustrating our argument that conspicuous consumption coincides with periods of political and social instability. After the peak of the proliferation of ceremonial akinakai in the third quarter of the 4th century BC, we observe a generation later the complete disappearance of Classical Scythian culture, along with its characteristic weapons, horse harnesses, and animal style.

Vanished civilisation hidden treasure theories analysis

The research relevance is determined by the substantial potential of the scientific search for information and sources on the life of the Scythians. Since the 18th century, researchers have thoroughly begun to approach the excavation of Scythian mounds in search of legendary treasures. Periodic finds with significant accompanying material memos provide more and more reasons to assert that the Scythian Herrhos, about which Herodotus wrote, really existed, but its location is still a mystery. This study presents the main versions and theories about the hidden treasures of the vanished Scythian civilization. The study involves the analysis of key hypotheses about the location of Scythian treasures and their correlation with objectively possible historical circumstances of their existence and location. The leading approach in the study is the analytical method, alongside synthesis, analogy, induction, deduction, comparative, systemic, and reductionism. As a result, the most common theories about the existence of Scythian treasures were presented, along with arguments confirming or refuting these positions using written evidence and archaeological materials. The study focuses on such an important aspect of Scythian culture as archaeological excavations and their legitimacy. The growing black archaeology issue is most presented in the case of the Scythian mounds, which greatly complicates scientific activity and casts doubt on the authenticity of the materials discovered as a result of excavations of already robbed burials. The materials of the study are of particular value to anyone interested in Scythian culture, including the sphere of scientific interests of historians, archaeologists, geologists, writers, etc. The investigation of the Scythians and their life remains a promising scientific area, which provides for further archaeological excavations, the examination of material and written sources, the analysis of information of various kinds considering cross-cultural studies, based on the area of distribution of finds of the Scythian period

Szolnok – Milléri-holtág part I-II. több korszakú lelőhely őrlőkő leletei archeometriai vizsgálatának előzetes eredményei : Új adatok a domoszlói piroxénandezit nyersanyag régészeti elterjedéséhez

The multi-period archaeological site Szolnok – Milléri-holtág part I-II is located in the north-eastern vicinity of Szolnok, approximately 5 km from the town, on the high bank of the Milléri-holtág. The total excavated area is almost 27 000 m2 . The preventive excavation was performed by the staff of the Hungarian National Museum in two campaigns (in 2014 and 2015) connected with the M4 motorway constructions. Most excavated settlement features belonged to a Middle Iron Age (Scythian Period) and a Late Iron Age (Celtic Period) rural settlement with scattered structures. Besides these, other settlement features were found from the Neolithic, Late Bronze Age and Medieval Period (Árpád Period). It has to be mentioned that in the excavated part of the Scythian Period settlement, only circular and oval structures were found. The rectangular features – typical for other settlements of the period – were absent in Milléri-Holtág part I-II. However, the archaeological finds were typical: ceramic assemblages were characterised by long-lasting forms (pots, bowls) of the Iron Age household ceramics. The assemblages of the Late Iron Age features were very similar to the vessel types of the earlier period. The partition of the artefacts can only be made with the help of some characteristic forms and ornamentations that appeared in a close unit. The ground stone assemblage of the site (primarily fragments of grinding stones) was analysed with petrographic and geochemical methods. Based on these investigations, the finds' most frequent raw material type could be identified with the Domoszló-type pyroxene andesite from the Mátra Mountains, studied intensively in the past few years. Other types of andesite were present in the ground stone assemblage in smaller amounts. The identification of the source areas of these different andesite raw material types needs more exploration, not just in the territory of Hungary, but also in some areas beyond the borders, e.g. Subcarpathia (Zakarpatska Oblast, Ukraine), Eastern-Slovakia, Transylvania (Romania).

Accumulation of Information about Metal Mirrors from Altai Sites and the Formation of a Source Base in the 1920s — the First Half of the 1950s

The article is devoted to the history of the discovery and study of 20 metal mirrors recorded in the territory of Altai in the 1920s — the first half of the 1950s. It has been established that the vast majority of products come from the monuments of the Scythian period and the Middle Ages. An analysis of the available information about the finds allowed the author of the study to identify several trends that are characteristic of this stage. During this period, the leading museum institutions of the country (the Russian Museum, the State Hermitage, the State Historical Museum) organized a number of large expeditions led by professional archaeologists (S.I. Rudenko, S.V. Kiselev, M.P. Gryaznov). Most of the metal mirrors presented in the publication come from the archaeological complexes investigated by these experts. In addition, there is an active work of employees of local museums (M.D. Kopytov, S.M. Sergeev) in the study of the ancient past of the region. In particular, they assembled a series of metal mirrors that added to the collections of the State Hermitage and the Biysk Museum of Local Lore. Another important trend ofthe designated period was the first theoretical understanding of the findings. Thus, sections related to the cultural and chronological interpretation of metal mirrors found on the territory of Altai appear in the articles and monographs of archaeologists.

Scythian Period Ashmound Near Mohrytsia: Research Methods and Results

In the article, the results of research at the Scythian period ashmound near Mohrytsia village are presented. The topography of the site and the methods of its investigation are described in detail. The materials from the Scythian period and other epochs discovered during excavations are discussed. Based on the obtained material, the article addresses questions regarding the interpretation of the site’s functions and the specifics of its formation. The hypothesis is put forward about the possible use of mounds for marking specific societies within the Scythian Forest-Steppe region.

Мідний кований казан ранньоскіфського часу з округи Більського городища

In the article, for the first time, data on the accidental discovery of a thin-walled copper cauldron in the floodplain of the Stara Vorskla River (Left Bank Dnipro Forest-Steppe), in the nearest district of Bilsk fortified hillfort, are introduced into scientific circulation. On the basis of morphological and X-ray fluorescence analyses of the object, its place among other few similar finds in the territory of Forest-Steppe Scythia is shown, the connection with the Central Caucasian production centers, as well as the influence of Urartian art in the design of handles, are traced. Previously, the item was assigned to the first half of the 6th century BC. The rare artefact could have reached the left bank of the Dnipro with the nomads advancing to the Ukrainian forest-steppe through the Caucasus. The cauldron found differs in appearance from other similar artefacts and hasn’t had any exact analogues yet. However, the high rims and the probable presence of a low pallet may indicate a production tradition of Caucasian craftsmen. At the same time, the design of the figured overlays for fastening the handles in the shape of a stylised bird with spread wings definitely points to the Urartian (East Asian) cultural tradition. The technique of making cauldron attachments, with a perpendicularly placed, separately cast ring, used by Urartian foundries is indicative, which, at first glance, could suggest an Urartian import. Clarity is provided by the results of spectral analyses. According to the elemental composition of the metal, each of the three cauldrons known today with similar handle attachments, found in the territories of the Ukrainian forest-steppe, has a copper body and bronze handles with a significant content of lead (from 10 to 15%), which indicates the possibility of their manufacture in workshops, located on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, where at the end of the 8th—6th centuries BC there was a large centre for the production of various types of metal utensils. In our case, the attachments on the cauldrons were cast according to the local recipe, but based on Urartian prototypes. Based on the archaeological context and the results of RFA analyses of the metal of thin-walled cauldrons of the Early Scythian period, found in the territory of Forest-Steppe Scythia (Bilsk, Repiakhuvata Mohyla and Kruhlyk), it can be concluded that all of them were made in the first half of the 6th century BC in one of the Central Caucasian production centres by order and according to the taste of the nomadic elite. The possibility of Urartian craftsmen working in one of these production centres cannot be eliminated.

Vanished civilisation hidden treasure theories analysis

The research relevance is determined by the substantial potential of the scientific search for information and sources on the life of the Scythians. Since the 18th century, researchers have thoroughly begun to approach the excavation of Scythian mounds in search of legendary treasures. Periodic finds with significant accompanying material memos provide more and more reasons to assert that the Scythian Herrhos, about which Herodotus wrote, really existed, but its location is still a mystery. This study presents the main versions and theories about the hidden treasures of the vanished Scythian civilization. The study involves the analysis of key hypotheses about the location of Scythian treasures and their correlation with objectively possible historical circumstances of their existence and location. The leading approach in the study is the analytical method, alongside synthesis, analogy, induction, deduction, comparative, systemic, and reductionism. As a result, the most common theories about the existence of Scythian treasures were presented, along with arguments confirming or refuting these positions using written evidence and archaeological materials. The study focuses on such an important aspect of Scythian culture as archaeological excavations and their legitimacy. The growing black archaeology issue is most presented in the case of the Scythian mounds, which greatly complicates scientific activity and casts doubt on the authenticity of the materials discovered as a result of excavations of already robbed burials. The materials of the study are of particular value to anyone interested in Scythian culture, including the sphere of scientific interests of historians, archaeologists, geologists, writers, etc. The investigation of the Scythians and their life remains a promising scientific area, which provides for further archaeological excavations, the examination of material and written sources, the analysis of information of various kinds considering cross-cultural studies, based on the area of distribution of finds of the Scythian period

Issues of Archaeological Cultures Study in the Territory of Uman Region (on materials by H.Yu. Khraban)

The purpose of the research paper is to focus attention on the role of the ‘second plan’ historians in scientific research of the history of Ukraine; to evaluate and study comprehensively the contribution of H.Yu. Khraban to the archaeological study of Uman region territory; to carry out a detailed analysis of the archaeological part of the scholar’s scientific heritage; to find out the results of his archaeological studies, and to show the importance of the archaeological study of the regions for the reconstruction of the genuine history of Ukraine.
 Scientific novelty: The contribution of H. Khraban to the study of various archaeological cultures sites in the western part of Cherkasy and neighboring oblasts is analyzed based on the fundamental source base, and after finding as well as introduction into scientific circulation of a significant array of new archival sources. The paper significantly augments a list of scholar’s works, many of which are unpublished and remain relevant to this day.
 Conclusions. The activity of H. Khraban devoted to the archaeological study of the territory of Uman region, Eastern Podillia, and the popularization of the ancient history of Ukraine is analyzed. The contribution of the historian to the addition of previously unknown pages from the history of the expansion of different archaeological cultures tribes into Uman region territory, his assistance in the organization of Uman Museum of Local Lore research activities, and the involvement of the public in the archaeological study of the region are shown. H.Yu. Khraban himself participated in archaeological field research in Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr oblasts. Hryhorii Khraban maintained systematic ties with the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR and spoke at meetings of the Department of Archeology Early Slavs with important reports on the results of his studies. Scientific notes and collected material objects were systematically given by the scholar to the scientific funds of the Institute of Archaeology.
 According to the time of their dating, H. Khraban attributed the archaeological sites discovered in the territory of Uman region to the Paleolithic period, Trypillia culture, Bronze Age, Bilohrudivska culture, Scythian period, Zarubyntsi and Cherniakhiv cultures, and the sites of the early Slavs. H. Khraban’s merit as an archaeologist lies in the fact that he helped to study the continuity in the settling of Uman region territory since ancient times.

Early Iron Age Mound Near the Village Malynivtsi in Podillia

The purpose of the research paper is to introduce the materials of mound 1 near the village of Malynivtsi in the Middle Dniester region to scientific circulation. It is crucial to characterize its funeral rites, as well as to attribute the inventory complex. Burials are included in the list of synchronous antiquities of the region. The social attribution of the persons buried there is conducted.
 The scientific novelty of the work is in the general characteristic of the Early Iron Age complex from Podillia. Since its unique characteristic is the presence of both pre-Scythian and Scythian features in the rites, Malynivtsi burial complex is an important source for studying the evolution of the Early Scythian funeral rites in the Middle Dniester region, because most of the burial mounds in the region are associated with the somewhat later Kelermesskaia period.
 Conclusions. Mound 1 near Malynivtsi contained several burials performed according to both inhumation and cremation rites. Analogies to them can be found in the Middle Dniester region and they are associated with both pre-Scythian and Scythian times. The pre-Scythian features include the presence of a group of graves under one mound, burial in a cist, group burials are more common, and the peculiar positioning of the dead in one tomb with their heads in different directions. The northwestern orientation of bodies also prevails in the pre-Scythian period and could be found in most necropolises of that time. At the same time, a number of features already have parallels in the Scythian times: the topography of the necropolis on the watershed, and the burning down of the wooden constructions of the tomb. The inventory complex contains mainly handmade pottery. Tulip-shaped vessels are characteristic of the pre-Scythian period. Pots with a roller on the rim and body, or only on the rim, existed both in the pre-Scythian and Scythian times. However, the first type is not yet known among the burials of the Western Podillia group of the Scythian period. Thus, according to the combination of features of the funeral rite and inventory, Mound 1 near the village of Malynivtsi can be attributed to the turn of the Pre-Scythian and Scythian periods.

Training of specialists in decorative-applied arts: plastics of small forms of the Scythian period

In the article, based on the definition that one of the important tasks of the modern education in the artistic space is the search and implementation of creative methods for the formation of a creatively developed personality, on the basis of which it is oriented in the history and perspectives of "Cultural dynamics", it has an acquaintance with the valuable world of historical eras, peoples, individuals, phenomena and processes related to the history of the creation of the world of "things", attention is drawn to the training of Decorative and Applied Arts specialists and teaching methods, and it is noted that it is relevant to turn specifically to the ceramics of the Scythian period, where the artist not only depicted objects, but expressed his̸her idea of reality, solving various aesthetic tasks at the same time. It is emphasized that since new approaches to art education are needed – on the basis of which it is possible to teach students to see and understand historical examples of art, in particular, the plastic of small forms of the Scythian period, in order to create in the future according to the laws of harmony and decorative-plastic expressiveness, then the principle of aestheticization deserves attention of the educational process based on the appeal to the ancient plasticity of small forms, which makes it possible to create conditions to shape the cultural space of a creative personality, to form aesthetic ideals by acquiring the autonomy of one’s own creative and pedagogical activity in the future. The purpose of the study is to examine the plasticity of small forms of the Scythian period and to rethink its conceptuality in modern art as well as to reveal its creative and methodical foundations with the justification of the feasibility of using these approaches and relevant methodological principles for the training of Decorative and Applied Arts specialists. It is highlighted that general scientific and special-specific methods, such as historical, art- and history-related, psychological and comparative approaches to the problem of developing students’ creative thinking, were applied and used to reveal the problem. In the main content, it is highlighted that today the attention to the Scythian ceramic sculpture – for the space of decorative and applied education, is connected both historically and based on practical results – actually created masterpieces. The opinion is substantiated that in the context of attention to the creative and educational foundations of small-form ceramic sculpture, to a certain extent the Scythian ceramic sculpture can be equated and compared with a folk ceramic toy, and the learning process based on the principles of "small-form sculpture of the Scythian period" involves the main tasks of the methodological level with the course "Decorative and Applied Arts" which consist in the formation of students’ knowledge and ideas about ancient and folk arts, and the peculiarity is that the student is faced with the need to show individual creativity at all stages – from the reinterpretation of the Scythian plastic of small forms – to the figurative reproduction of acquired knowledge in a newly created product. It is this type of activity that allows you to accumulate experience in the aesthetic and creative processing of what you have acquired. The point of view is given that educational classes in the space of plastics of small forms of the Scythian period should reveal and cover all technologies for the production of decorative products, and most importantly create conditions for the work on stylization in the context of combining ideas and methods – the Hermeneutic approach and Art-technology on the basis of its specific approaches, in connection with the fact that artistic and creative mastery also consists in decoding and rethinking the external and internal plan of works. In the conclusions, it is noted that under the influence of attention to the art of the Scythian period, and especially to small-form sculptures, students develop the ability to continuously enrich their own pictorial-visual experience, to develop aesthetic taste and special abilities, to replenish knowledge and to improve skills, skills in artistic form-making in practice reinterpretation of achievements and reproduction of the original in content, technically masterful and objectively valuable works, which becomes the basis for reaching the heights of artistic professionalism. In the perspective of further research, it is seen that based on a certain universality of the category "artistic and pedagogical skills", we foresee researching their ability to transform, through teaching decorative and applied arts in the space of reinterpretation of artistic experience, into a qualitative result as the formation of professional and creative skills.

Adam Kirkor: the Discovery and First Research of Trypillia Sites in the Ukrainian Dnister Region

It is well known that the Trypillia culture in Ukraine was singled out by Vincenc Chvojka (Vikentii Khvoika — in Ukrainian) based on his research in the Dnipro region at the end of the 19th century. However, a little earlier, the same sites were studied in Eastern Galicia, Dnister region, by Polish researchers: Adam Kirkor, Izydor Kopernicki, Władysław Przybysławski, and Gotfryd Ossowski. The territory, where Trypillian settlements were discovered, at that time, belonged to two empires — Russian and Austro-Hungarian, so the culture had different names in the Dnipro region and the Dnister region. In Galicia, they became known under the name of the Painted Pottery culture, whereas the sites in the Dnipro valley were called the Trypillia culture by V. Chvojka. Nowadays it is a cultural and historical community of Cucuteni-Trypillia culture. The first reports of the Trypillian antiquities discovery are dated to the 1820s, but full-fledged research had began in 1876 by the Krakow archaeologist Adam Kirkor. For five seasons (1876—1878, 1881, 1882), the researcher had been studying rocky and cave sites of the Dnister region; he collected fossils and fossil remains of animals. Adam had excavated the burials of the Globular Amphora culture and initiated the excavations of the barrows of the Early Scythian period in the Middle Dnister region. During the exploration, he examined several Trypillian settlements (Vasylkivtsi, Verkhniakivtsi, Horodnytsia, Zhabyntsi, Kozachchyna, Lychkivtsi, Lanivtsi, Sukhostav, Yabluniv) and the Verteba cave near Bilche-Zolote village. The researcher managed to record the positioning of the Trypillian dwellings’ remains in circles and straight lines. A. Kirkor interpreted these settlements as a burnt Pagan burial ground. The first Trypillia sites discovered in the Dnister region were associated with the periphery of ancient civilisation and the squares were interpreted as burnt cemeteries, which was a tribute to the scientific trends of that time. Such opinions are not surprising and are explained by the fact that the researchers encountered the Trypillian antiquities for the first time, and the ideas about their dating and purpose were quite conventional. The scholar had taken the materials he excavated during the trips, to Krakow. Today, these finds are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Krakow.

Scythian Mound of the 4th Century BC near Kobrynove Village

The article is devoted to the publication of materials from the excavations of the barrow no. 2 near Kobrynove village in Cherkasy Oblast. It belongs to the Scythian sites of the confluence of the Hirskyi Tikych and Hnylyi Tikych rivers. Most of the burial sites excavated by archaeologists in the region are dated to the 4th century BC — Ryzhanivka, Ryzyno and Rubanyi Mist. The barrow no. 2 had been excavated by the Cherkasy archaeological expedition led by H. T. Kovpanenko in 1986. An archaeologist S. S. Bessonova carried out direct work on the mound. At the time of the excavations, the barrow was 1.8 m high from the horizon level. The soil of the barrow slopes became soft as a result of plowing. The diameter of the mound at the time of research was 35 m, in ancient times it was about 25 m. The ditch was not recorded. It consisted of chernozem. In the mound there was excavated a burial in the catacombs. According to the classification of V. S. Olkhovskyi, the latter belong to the Type IІ. The long walls of the exit chamber and the pits are located on the same axis. Above the grave a complex wooden ceiling in the shape of the so-called ‘lattices’ was built. Its basis was made of oak beams. The analogies to the constructions in the shape of ‘lattices’ are known from the excavations in the south of the forest-steppe in the Dnipro Right Bank, on the Left Bank in the lower reaches of the Dnister, Middle Don, the Urals and Northern Kazakhstan. It is possible that similar ceilings over graves are of Eastern origin. Unfortunately, the catacomb was robbed in ancient times. The skull found in the robber’s pit allows claiming that the burial belonged to a woman. A round bronze spinning wheel and a fragment of realgar represent the finds from the barrow. The dimensions of the mound, the complex wooden floor indicate that the deceased had a high social status. Burial in the catacomb, a wooden covering and a realgar find suggest that she was a nomad. Thereby the mound is another evidence of the penetration of steppe nomads into the Right Bank forest-steppe. The proximity of the burial structure and the overlap to the sites of the Late Scythian period in the Dnipro Right Bank allows dating the burial in the barrow near Kobrynove village to the 4th century BC.

MOUND 1/2021 OF THE SKOROBIR NECROPOLIS IN THE DISTRICT OF BILSK GORODYSHCHE

The article introduces the burial complex investigated in 2021 by a joint expedition of the Historical and Cultural Reserve «Bilsk» and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in the Skorobir burial mound necropolis in the western district of the Bilsk settlement. Despite the fact that the burial mound was looted in ancient times, it was possible to trace the peculiarities of the creation of the burial structure and the main features of the burial rite.
 A burial site was discovered under the barrow mound, which was looted back in ancient times. Only a small part of this complex remained intact. The burial chamber was a simple rectangular pit with an area of 7.15 m2, oriented along the northeast-southwest line. A 2.75 m long dromos adjoined the pit from the southwest, which was recorded for the first time in the necropolises of the Bilsk fortified settlement for burials of the Early Scythian period. The floor of the grave was lined with longitudinal wooden boards, which were placed on transverse logs, fixed in grooves dug near the southern and northern walls of the grave. The grave was not covered with soil, it was covered with wooden logs, the remains of which were fixed. Molded pottery (bowls, ladles, and ladles) was left on the ceiling, which fell into the burial chamber after the ceiling was destroyed. Based on the categories of funeral inventory it can be said with certainty that a woman was buried in the grave with her head facing southwest. Beads made of glass and rock crystal, as well as gold rosette plaques, indicate the rather high social status of the deceased, who probably belonged to representatives of the local elite. The set of accompanying inventory allows us to date the burial in barrow 1/2021 to the first quarter of the 6th century BC.
 Mound 1/2021 demonstrates the close burial traditions of the local population of the Early Scythian period and has certain correspondences among the mounds of the Bilsk burial grounds, first of all, the burial complexes of the first half of the 6th century BC, which have been studied in recent years in the southern part part of the Skorobir necropolis, the largest of those located near the Bilsk fortified settlement. The traced general features of the burial rite are typical for the burial mounds of the Bilsk hillfort.

BETWEEN SEDENTISM AND NOMADISM: LIFEWAYS ON THE FOREST-STEPPE FRONTIER OF THE LEFT BANK OF DNIEPER IN SCYTHIAN TIME

The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian period. The question of the role of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural history of the population is one of the most important, since the correct assessment of the interaction between the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe du­ring Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This led to the use of several ecological niches, which was reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture (chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains of the region, leaving behind the main type of sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally different from the settled agricultural population.
 The study proposes the conditional use of the term «nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the time of their penetration into the region. In the new conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within a limited territory of movement, permanent winter houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc. At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general, it can be assumed that the migration of nomads into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the local sedentary population.

Redvyntsi — the Funeral and Memorial Complex of a Rider of the Scythian Period in Northern Podillia

In 1973, the archaeological expedition of Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical Institute under the leadership of A. F. Hutsal and I. S. Vynokur investigated the mound no. 1 near Redvyntsi village in Khmelnytskyi District and Oblast, in the upper reaches of the Southern Buh basin. The graveyard of five mounds was located 0.5 km southwest from Redvyntsi, on the territory of the collective farm garden. The height of the embankments, located 50—60 m from each other, was 1.8—2.7 m, the diameter — 14—18 m. The height of the mound no. 1 (the biggest in the group), located in the eastern part of the burial ground, was 2.5 m, the diameter — 18 m. A burial and memorial complex was discovered under the mound: the cenotaph. It had a wooden structure with a diameter of 4.4 m. It was located on the top of the soil filling. In the centre of the layout there was a complex of items. On the side, traces of ritual hearths and ceramics near them were found. Among the finds, bridle items made of bronze should be noted. Moreover, there were plates that had the shape of a circle, a rosette and and a diamond. Buckles were found with them. Weapons include an iron spearhead and bronze three-bladed arrowheads. A glass bead was found among the jewellery. The finds have analogies in many areas of the Northern Black Sea region during the Scythian period: the Eastern Podillia group, the Dnipro River Right-bank forest-steppe region, the Ukrainian Left-bank forest-steppe, the Middle Don region and Steppe Scythia. Mound no. 1 in Redvyntsi, due to the lack of a burial, can be interpreted as a cenotaph: during the construction of which fire rituals took place, which have comparisons in the Ukrainian forest-steppe. According to analogies, the burial mounds in Redvyntsi can be dated by the 4th century BC. The significant size of the mound, as well as the rich inventory, indicate that it was built in the memory of an ancient warrior-horseman. The deceased, who could have died in a foreign land, probably belonged to the local nobility, and headed one of the communities of the Scythian period, which lived in the 4th century BC in the upper reaches of the Southern Buh.

Hillforts of the Scythian Period in the Middle Course of the Seim River

Despite many years of studies of the Scythian Age hillforts of the Seim River Putyvl region, their research has only just begun. This is largely the merit of the works of the Putyvl archaeological expedition, which surveyed all the fortified settlements of the region during 2012—2016. New topographic plans were created, the peculiarities of the cultural layer of a particular settlement were clarified. The research conducted allows identifying the general characteristics of the fortified settlements of the region. All the hillforts are located on promontories, with one or more ramparts on the field side. A characteristic feature is the presence of two or more sharp ridges, which gently descend to the floodplain. Minor studies of defensive structures were conducted only at three sites. The presence of a defensive ditch is assumed, although it can be traced only visually at two sites. In addition, a significant part of the hillforts is fortified by slopes. Based on the cultural layer we can distinguish three groups: the fortified settlement with a thick layer which has existed for a long time; the fortified settlement with a layer approximately 0.5 m thick; the fortified settlement with a thin layer and a small number of finds and objects. The latter are probably unfinished hillforts or administrative centres, combining several unfortified settlements. A comprehensive research of the material complex, given the small number of finds, is impossible. However, even with a superficial analysis there can be traced the connection of the Middle Seim tribes with the Yukhniv population of the forest belt. It is possible to assume the presence of mixed marriages, which led to the appearance of specific forms of ceramic vessels and some items in the population of the northern part of the Left Bank forest-steppe. The question about the time of existence of the sites in the Seim River Putyvl region remains open. Preliminarily we can speak about the middle of the 6th—4th centuries BC. However, in the 4th century BC there was only one fortified settlement – Shyriaievе.