The excavations were led by Iryna Rukavyshnikova, a researcher at the Scythian-Sarmatian Archeology Department of the Archaeological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Despite the abnormally cold, snowy winter and the complex nature of the mound, “the excavations were timely and resulted in an interesting scientific result,” he said. We were able to discover the rare archaeologically intact complex for Scythian mounds, because most of the lower mound vaults of the Scythian period were looted in ancient and modern times. The complex’s intricate architecture and stunning finds suggest it was the tomb of a noble Scythian family.

what is known

The source calls the excavations carried out near Simferopol “rescue”. The area fell into a highway construction site bypassing the city.

The mound in temporarily occupied Crimea has not yet been excavated / Institute of Photographic Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

• Under the mound, a completely preserved stone crepe was discovered, 2.5 meters high and 50 meters in diameter – a retaining wall surrounding the mound with a stone ring. It consisted of stone blocks of various sizes placed in a circle.
• In the center of the mound was the main burial structure – IV. Century stone crypt. Its walls were made of slabs that stretched upwards and laid flat on top of each other: this prevented the walls from collapsing from the pressure of the infill.
• The crypt was lined with logs and boards, on which the ancient builders laid stone slabs.
• The entrance to the cellar room was in the southern part, a long corridor, carefully paved with stone after burial, led to it.

We have very little data on the architecture of the Scythian mounds on the outskirts of this period, because many famous crypts were either completely looted or not fully described in research. We now know that there are not exactly the same architectural solutions for Scythian mounds. Similar structures were found in the burial mounds of the Belogorsky cemetery, Besh-oba and other burial mounds of the Belogorsky and Simferopol regions studied by modern scientists. There were also “royal” mounds of the Scythians with stone architecture.
Said Rukavyshnikova.

Excavations of the Mound / Institute of Photographic Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

• In the cellar under the ceiling in the north, archaeologists discovered a mass grave in which six people were buried at different times.
• At the burial of each subsequent person, part of the funeral inventory was taken and the remains of those previously buried were moved.
• Two strips of griffins walking were found next to one of the skulls.
• In the southern part of the cellar, archaeologists found the remains of another buried, next to them they found gold earrings and ribbons, which were once embroidered clothes.
• In addition, bronze arrowheads and a 2.5 meter long iron spearhead were found in the tomb.

Finds made at the mound / Institute of Photographic Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The clothes at the funeral of noble Scythians, as a rule, were decorated with various golden ribbons. Stripes similar to the one we found have previously been found in nearby mounds on the southern and left bank of Ukraine and in eastern Crimea (eg Tuuk-oba). Since all the lanes (about 100 individual items) are in place in the tomb, we will be able to rebuild the costume of at least one of the people buried here.
– The Russian looter continues to confess to a crime.

Now the fieldwork is over and the bones are being studied by anthropologists. They will determine the deceased’s gender, age, degree of relationship, and state of health at the time of death. In the future, it is planned to carry out a three-dimensional reconstruction of the stone crypt, research on organic samples obtained from the remains of the plaques and the cape and the floor of the cellar. They also want to retrieve the found weapon.

The mound excavated in temporarily occupied Crimea / Institute of Photographic Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Most likely, the finds will be taken to Russia to entertain the locals and tell about “glorious Russian culture,” but be sure to acknowledge where this culture was stolen. If this does not happen immediately and the values ​​of the mound remain in the Crimea, there is no guarantee that they will not try to remove them when Ukraine begins the process of liberating the peninsula from occupation.

The mound excavated in temporarily occupied Crimea / Institute of Photographic Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences