Archaeologists studying a ninth-century BC burial mound in the Siberian Republic of Tuva unearthed evidence of sacrificial rituals involving horses that have been linked to the horse-riding Scythian culture of the inner Asian steppes. These discoveries provide some fascinating data about the burial practices of the early Scythians, findings that were consistent with the practices of later Scythians. But they also reveal that the roots of this horse-obsessed culture can be found far to the east of the Pontic-Caspian steppes, which is generally recognized as the home territory of these peoples.
In the early Scythian period, which dates to approximately the ninth through the seventh centuries BC, the culture constructed hundreds of large burial mounds in the Uyuk Valley in southern Siberia, in the geographical center of Asia. Excavations of these mounds have been revealing invaluable data about the funerary practices of the first Scythians, as they pertain to the burials of elites and the use of horses in various rituals and ceremonies associated with those burials.
Excavations in Siberia can be pretty difficult! (Trevor Wallace/Antiquity Publications Ltd)
Tunnug 1: A Window into Scythian Funerary Rituals
The specific mound that produced the latest important discoveries is known as Tunnug 1. It is located in Siberia’s Uyuk Valley, where ancient mound builders were extremely active. Digging down through the various layers of the mound, an international team of archaeologists found collections of…
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* This article was originally published here