Shifts in the Genetic Landscape of the Western Eurasian Steppe Associated with the Beginning and End of the Scythian Dominance Highlights d 31 new ancient genomes help compare the Scythians to preand postdating cultures d Scythian dominance brought along an increase of eastern ancestry across the steppe d Results imply some demic diffusion in the spread of the Scythian culture d Genetic makeup agrees with the Gothic source of post-Scythian Chernyakhiv culture
The article studies the silver bull protome found in mound no. 2 of “Karavan” group near the town Lubotyn, Kharkiv region (Seversky Donets basin). For the first time, all protome fragments are published and their graphic reconstruction is carried out. It is proved that the item in question was part of a rhyton. Morphological analysis of the rhyton makes it possible to date it to the late 7th — early 6th centuries BC. The iconographic and stylistic analysis allows us concluding that this rhyton is one of the earliest in the series of rhyta which later became widespread in the Achaemenid Empire. It has been suggested that the place of its production was Western Iran — historical Media or Elam — where Assyrian art had a significant influence on local cultural traditions. Many considerations are expressed about the cult of the bull in the Scythian culture of the Archaic period.
In 2013 near Kustorivka village of Krasnokutsky district, Kharkov region the Scythian burial mound (5th—4th centuries BC.) was excavated. The inserted burial of a beheaded man has been discovered there. Fragments of horse bones, horse harness, numerous arrowheads, the spearhead and knife were unearthed in the grave. Funeral inventory dates the burial to the 2nd half or the end of 5th — the early 4th century BC. The grave goods allowed us to suggest that the man was a horseman and possessed a bow with arrows, javelin or lance. These assumptions have been confirmed by anthropological studies of the development of muscles relief, injuries and specific skeletal markers. The skeleton showed clear signs of a horseman’ and archer’ osteological complexes. The man died at the age of 20—25. The skull, first and second cervical vertebrae were absent in the undisturbed burial. The upper part of the left intervertebral condyle of the 3rd vertebra was cut off by the hit from left behind and below. These signs are evidence of decapitation. In addition, numerous cut marks made with a sharp blade were found on the anterior and lateral surfaces of the 3rd and 4th cervical vertebrae, as well as on the left femur above the knee. Thus could be the signs of the body cleaning of waste tissue for its transportation or in course of the preparation for the burial. Studies of the horse’s remains showed that it has deceased at the age of 10—12 years. The horse was decapitated as well by the hit directed between first and second cervical vertebra. The head was also cut in half and only one part of it was present in the burial. There were also some bones of the animal’s skeleton, which do not belong to the edible parts of the body. The severed head of the horse was located above the place where the man’s head was supposed to be, thus the horse harness was situated on the level of the human skeleton. Traces of the possible preparation of the human body for burial and the location of the remains of a horse over a lost human head along with other changes in the skeleton indicate a certain funeral rite, direct analogies of which have not yet been found in the North Pontic region.
This article is devoted to the extensive description of the environment of the two largest settlement structures of the Eastern European steppes — the Kapuliv and Kamyanka which date V—III centuries BC. These two powerful settlements appeared on the opposite banks near the ancient crossings through the Dnipro. They formed the main core of the Scythian state, in which Kapuliv served as the capital and Kamyanka was its economic partner. Intense life here has arisen from the time of Ariapet’s rule to the life of the descendants of King Ateus. The Scythians chose the best place in the Pontic steppe, where in the zone of floodplain meadows and forests there were numerous straits with lakes surrounded by magnificent pastures. Therefore, along with these two main settlements, on the banks and partly in the floodplain, there were many settlements of the second order. The importance of this zone is emphasized by the accumulation of kurhans and graveyards placed almost symmetrically on different shores. In the immediate surrounding of the settlements there are almost equal in importance burial mounds of the ordinary population. Among them are the burial ground near the village Kut, the Nikopol mound field and the burial ground of Mamay-Gora. The last one is the largest in the Eastern Europe in terms of the number of excavated burials. This graveyard is unique due to five large kurhans, located in one line: three long kurhans and two round in plan. It is possible that there was a general Scythian cult center. Further from the Dnipro there were burial memorials of representatives of the higher social stage, among which were the largest burial mounds of Scythia — Solokha and Chortomlyk. There is a noteworthy mound alley (1.6 km long), which retreated to the west of the Solokha kurhan and turned slightly to the north, where it probably connected with a part of another smaller kurhan alley. Not far from a smaller alley there was the recently opened manufacturing settlement Sorokina Balka. The time of its existence (all IV BC) is recorded by the findings of the coins of the cities of the North Pontus, the Marmara Sea and Macedonia.
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