Non-Barrow Burial Grounds of Scythians of the Lower Dnipro Region (Funerary and Commemorative Ritual Practices)

The purpose of the research paper is to analyze the funerary and commemorative ritual practices of burial grounds containing non-barrow (non-kurgan) burials, concentrated in the Steppe Dnipro region. It is important to study the topography of the sites, the objects placed over and around the burials, and the types of burials. Ritual practices associated with the treatment of the deceased’s body, such as its orientation and body position, as well as commemorative and fire rituals, are studied. The distribution of the grave goods assemblage is analyzed. The scientific novelty of the work is in the comprehensive analysis of the entire set of necropolises with non-barrow burials within the Steppe Dnipro region. This allows the localization of a separate group of specified sites here. It bears a resemblance to similar antiquities from different regions of Steppe Scythia, where similar groups can also be distinguished. They are known to be found in the Black Sea region, in the Donbas, the Lower Don, and the Crimea. Conclusions. In Scythian times, the Steppe Dnipro region was one of the areas where necropolises with burials without barrow mounds were constructed. A non-barrow burial could be the only one at the site, or it could coexist with a barrow. The main types of burials at such sites are pits of various shapes and catacombs. Stone settings, cromlechs, ditches, and cult pits are among the above-grave and around-grave structures. Stone steles and the remains of a funerary feast, which include broken Scythian and classical dishes and animal bones, could be found there. The rite of inhumation prevailed. The bodies are more often in a supine position. Extended position on the side or crouched skeletons are rare. The deceased are interred with sacrificial food, comprising the meat of cattle, small livestock, and horses. The grave goods assemblage often depends on the deceased’s sex and age. Weapons are more often deposited with males. With females – personal ornaments, mirrors, and spindle whorls. Armament is represented by arrowheads, spears, javelins, swords, and axes. The elements of protective armor are infrequent. Among the personal ornaments, necklaces prevail; also earrings, bracelets, rings, hairpins, and torcs are found. The vessels can be both Scythian handmade and classical wheel-made pottery. Wooden trays are occasionally found. Tools are represented by knives, spindle whorls and spindles, awls, needles, and quern stones. The analysis of funerary ritual practices allows us to distinguish two subgroups of sites located above the rapids and in the Lower Dnipro region. The overlap between the locations of non-barrow burial grounds and the zone of Scythian sedentism in the Lower Dnipro region suggests that the sedentarization of these nomads was accompanied by a transition to non-barrow funerary ritual practices

Assemblage (archaeology) · Black sea · Forest steppe · Grave goods · Steppe · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Paleopathology and ancient diseases