12/17/2014 ScythianSteedsArchaeologyMagazineArchive

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ScythianSteeds Volume55Number3,May/June2002byZainullahSamashevandHenriPaulFrancfort

Blocksoffrozenearthyieldtheremainsofhorsesbearingextravagantregalia.

Kurgan11isthelargestmoundintheBerel'Scythiancemetery.Thesacrificedhorseswereplacedinthenorthhalfofthekurgan,whileacoffinlayinthesouthhalf.(HenriPaulFrancfort/MAFAC)[LARGERIMAGE]

IntheworldoftheScythians,thehorsewasthesinglemostimportantanimal,enablingtheseEurasiansteppenomadstotraversevastdistances.Itwasalsoanessentialcompanionintheafterlifeandtheelitecouldexpecttobeburiedinlargemounds,orkurgans,alongwithseveralsacrificedhorses.In1998,weexcavatedoneofthesegreatkurgansintheAltaiMountainsofeasternKazakhstan.

Withinthemoundweretheextraordinaryremainsof13sacrificedhorses("EquusonIce,"January/February2000).Becausetheyhadbeenentombedinfrozenornearfrozenearthforover2,300years,aconventionalexcavationwouldexposethemtotemperaturesthatcouldacceleratethedecompositionoftheorganicremains.WesolvedtheproblembytakingstillfrozenblocksofearthfromthesiteandbringingthembacktoalaboratoryinAlmaty,Kazakhstan'slargestcity.Thankstometiculous"excavation"inthelab,wenowknowinwhichseasonthehorsesdiedandtheirageatdeath.DNAresearchisongoing,butthesizeofthehorsessuggeststheymightberelatedtobreedsthatliveintheAltaiMountainstothisday.

We'vealsobeenabletoreconstructtheextravagantregaliawornbythehorseswhentheyweresacrificed,sometimebetween330and270B.C.Oneofthemworelargewoodenibexhorns,suggestingtheScythiansmayhavebelievedthedeadjourneyedtotheafterlifeonthebackofawildanimal.Decorativewoodenbandsontheotherhorsesdepictedstylizedheadsofanimalsormythicalmonsters,includingamoose,sheep,griffin,andhornedlion.Thehorseswerealsodecoratedwithpendants,garlands,andotherwoodenornamentsingoldleafallonceshiningbrilliantlyagainstredfeltsaddleblankets.TheeclecticstyleofthedecorativeelementsshowsthattheisolatedAltaiScythianshadbeeninfluencedbycivilizationsthatlayfarfromtheirnativemountains.

ConservatorsKrymAltynbekov,left,andJorgeVasquezgingerlyexcavateathawedblockofearthcontaininghorseremains.(HenriPaulFrancfort/MAFAC)[LARGERIMAGE]

Between800and300B.C.theScythiansdominatedavastswathoflandstretchingfromSiberiatotheBlackSea.ThosewhoroamedwhatistodayKazakhstanandsouthernSiberiawereknownasthe"Saka,"awordusedbytheancientPersians,whoencounteredtheScythiansinaseriesofbattlesduringthereignofDarius(r.521486B.C.).ThefrozentombsoftheSakafirstcapturedthepublic'simaginationwhenaSovietexpeditiondiscoveredroyalburialsatthesiteofPazyrykin1927.Thelevelofpreservationwasastonishing.Clothing,ornaments,sacrificedhorses,andeventattooedmummieshadsurvived.

Hopingtofindsimilarburials,weweredrawntoKazakhstan'sBukhtarmaValley,highintheAltaiMountains,wherein1996weselectedakurgannearthevillageofBerel'forexcavation.Thetomb,75feetindiameterandeightfeethigh,isoneofeight

12/17/2014 ScythianSteedsArchaeologyMagazineArchive

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inaScythiancemeteryontheBukhtarmaRiver.

BythetimeexcavationbeganinAugust1998,ourteamincludedresearchersfromKazakhstan,France,Italy,Belgium,andRussiaworkinginfieldsasvariedasgeomorphology,paleobotany,anddendrochronology.Aftertwomonthsofexcavating,itwasclearthattemperatureshoveringaroundfreezingsome13feetbelowthesurfacehadmaintainedexcellentpreservationoftheremainsintheburialpit.Itwasalsoclearthattheburialwasstillrichinimportantorganicremains,eventhoughgraverobbershadlootedthetombinancienttimes,makingoffwithgravegoodslikegoldjewelryandmetalweaponry.

The13sacrificedhorsesinthenorthofthepitwereburiedintwolevelscoveredbytwigsandbirchbarksheets.Thefirstlevelwaspartlydisturbedbylootingbutthesecondwaspracticallyintact,havingjustrecentlybeguntodecay.Eventhehorses'skinandhaircolorwerepreserved.

ZainullahSamashevisdirectoroftheprehistoricandearlynomadsdepartmentattheMargulanInstituteofArchaeologyoftheAcademyofSciencesandMinistryofResearchoftheRepublicofKazakhstan.HenriPaulFrancfortisdirectoroftheFrenchArchaeologicalMissioninCentralAsia.