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{{About||the city in southern Russia|Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast||Kurgan (disambiguation)}} {{About||the city in southern Russia|Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast||Kurgan (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Tumulus in Eastern Europe}} {{Short description|Tumulus in Eastern Europe}}
] Kurgan, 4th century BC, Fillipovka, South Urals, ]. A dig led by ] Archeology Institute Prof. L. Yablonsky excavated this kurgan in 2006. It is the first kurgan known to have been completely destroyed and then rebuilt to its original appearance.]]{{Indo-European topics}} ] Kurgan, fourth century BC, Fillipovka, South Urals, ]. A dig led by ] Archeology Institute Prof. L. Yablonsky excavated this kurgan in 2006. It is the first kurgan known to have been completely destroyed and then rebuilt to its original appearance.]]{{Indo-European topics}}


A '''kurgan''' is a type of ] constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the ], kurgans spread into much of ] and ], ], ] and ] during the 3rd millennium BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/kurgan |title=Kurgan |author=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |author-link=Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary |year=2019 |website=] |publisher=Random House }}</ref> A '''kurgan''' is a type of ] (Burial mound) constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons, and horses. Originally in use on the ], kurgans spread into much of ] and ], ], ], and ] during the third millennium BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/kurgan |title=Kurgan |author=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |author-link=Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary |year=2019 |website=] |publisher=Random House }}</ref>


The earliest kurgans date to the 4th millennium BC in the ],{{sfn|Kipfer|2000|p= 291}} and a part of researchers associate these with the ].{{sfn|Mallory|Adams|1997|p= 339}} Kurgans were built in the ], ], ], ] and ]s, with ancient traditions still active in Southern ] and Central Asia. The earliest kurgans date to the fourth millennium BC in the ],{{sfn|Kipfer|2000|p= 291}} and some researchers associate these with the ].{{sfn|Mallory|Adams|1997|p= 339}} Kurgans were built in the ], ], ], ], and ]s, with ancient traditions still active in Southern ] and Central Asia.


==Etymology== == Etymology ==
According to the Etymological dictionary of the Ukrainian language the word "kurhan" is borrowed directly from the "Polovtsian" language (], part of the ]) and means: fortress, embankment, high grave.<ref></ref> The word has two possible ], either from the ] root ''qori-'' "to close, to block, to guard, to protect", or ''qur-'' "to build, to erect, furnish or stur". According to ] it may be a cognate to ''qorγan'', meaning "fortification, fortress or a castle".<ref>{{cite book|title=Acta philologica|volume=5|publisher=University of Warsaw|page=175|year=1972}}</ref> According to the Etymological dictionary of the Ukrainian language the word "kurhan" is borrowed directly from the "Polovtsian" language (], part of the ]), and means: fortress, embankment, high grave.<ref></ref> The word has two possible ], either from the ] root ''qori-'' "to close, to block, to guard, to protect", or ''qur-'' "to build, to erect, furnish, or stur". According to ] it may be a cognate to ''qorγan'', meaning "fortification, fortress, or a castle".<ref>{{cite book|title=Acta philologica|volume=5|publisher=University of Warsaw|page=175|year=1972}}</ref>


The Russian noun, already attested in ], comes from an unidentified ] language.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Vasmer|first1= Max|title= Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch|date= 1953–1958|publisher= Winter|location= Heidelberg|page= 2424|url= http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=config&morpho=0&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cvasmer&first=1&off=&text_word=&method_word=substring&ic_word=on&text_general=&method_general=substring&ic_general=on&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&ic_origin=on&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&ic_trubachev=on&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&ic_editorial=on&text_pages=2424&method_pages=substring&ic_pages=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word&ic_any=on|access-date= 27 July 2015}}</ref> Kurgans are mounds of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Popularised by its use in ], the word is now widely used for ] in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology.{{Cn|date=January 2024}} The Russian noun, already attested in ], comes from an unidentified ] language.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Vasmer|first1= Max|title= Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch|date= 1953–1958|publisher= Winter|location= Heidelberg|page= 2424|url= http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=config&morpho=0&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cvasmer&first=1&off=&text_word=&method_word=substring&ic_word=on&text_general=&method_general=substring&ic_general=on&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&ic_origin=on&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&ic_trubachev=on&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&ic_editorial=on&text_pages=2424&method_pages=substring&ic_pages=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word&ic_any=on|access-date= 27 July 2015}}</ref> Kurgans are mounds of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Popularised by its use in ], the word is now widely used for ] in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}


==Origins and spread== == Origins and spread ==
Some sceptre graves could have been covered with a tumulus, placing the first kurgans as early as the 5th millennium BC in eastern Europe. However, this hypothesis is not unanimous.{{sfn|Govedarica|2016|p=85}} Some sceptre graves could have been covered with a tumulus, placing the first kurgans as early as the fifth millennium BC in eastern Europe. However, this hypothesis is not accepted unanimously.{{sfn|Govedarica|2016|p=85}}
Kurgans were used in Ukrainian and Russian steppes, their use spreading with migration into southern, central, and northern Europe in the 3rd millennium BC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.advantour.com/kazakhstan/news/20140331-39.htm|title=Kazakhstan will provide tourists with an access to Saka kurgans|website=www.advantour.com|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Turbat|first=Tsagaan|title=First Excavation of Pazyryk Kurgans in Mongolian Altai |url=https://www.academia.edu/3715459|language=en}}</ref> Kurgans were used in Ukrainian and Russian steppes, their use spreading with migration into southern, central, and northern Europe in the third millennium BC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.advantour.com/kazakhstan/news/20140331-39.htm|title=Kazakhstan will provide tourists with an access to Saka kurgans|website=www.advantour.com|access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Turbat|first=Tsagaan|title=First Excavation of Pazyryk Kurgans in Mongolian Altai |url=https://www.academia.edu/3715459|language=en}}</ref>
Later, Kurgan barrows became characteristic of ] peoples, and have been found from Ukraine, Belarus, ] (], ], etc) and Romania (Getae, ]), the ], Russia, to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the ].{{Cn|date=January 2024}} Later, Kurgan barrows became characteristic of ] peoples, and have been found from Ukraine, Belarus, ] (], ], etc.), and Romania (Getae, ]), the ], Russia, to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the ].{{Cn|date=January 2024}}


== Kurgan hypothesis == == Kurgan hypothesis ==
{{Main|Kurgan hypothesis}} {{Main|Kurgan hypothesis}}
The ] is that ] were the bearers of the ] of the Black Sea and the Caucasus and west of the Urals. Introduced by ] in 1956, it combines kurgan archaeology with linguistics to locate the origins of the peoples who spoke the ]. She tentatively named the culture "Kurgan" after its distinctive burial mounds and traced its diffusion into Europe. The hypothesis has had a significant impact on ]. The ] is that ] were the bearers of the ] of the Black Sea and the Caucasus and west of the Urals. Introduced by ] in 1956, it combines kurgan archaeology with linguistics to locate the origins of the peoples who spoke the ]. She tentatively named the culture "Kurgan" after its distinctive burial mounds and traced its diffusion into Europe. The hypothesis has had a significant effect upon ].


Scholars who follow Gimbutas identify a "Kurgan culture" as reflecting an early Proto-Indo-European ethnicity that existed in the steppes and in southeastern Europe from the 5th millennium to the 3rd millennium BC. In Kurgan cultures, most burials were in kurgans, either clan or individual. Most prominent leaders were buried in individual kurgans, now called "royal kurgans". More elaborate than clan kurgans and containing grave goods, royal kurgans have attracted the most attention and publicity. Scholars who follow Gimbutas identify a "Kurgan culture" as reflecting an early Proto-Indo-European ethnicity that existed in the steppes and in southeastern Europe from the fifth millennium to the third millennium BC. In Kurgan cultures, most burials were in kurgans, either clan or individual. Most prominent leaders were buried in individual kurgans, now called "royal kurgans". These individual kurgans have attracted the most attention and publicity because they were more elaborate than clan kurgans and contained grave goods.


===Scythian-Saka-Siberian monuments=== === Scytho-Siberian monuments ===
The monuments of these cultures coincide with ]-]-] monuments. Scythian-Saka-Siberian monuments have common features, and sometimes common genetic roots.<ref>Akishev K.A., Kushaev G.A., ''Ancient culture of Sakas and Usuns in the valley of river Ili'', Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences publication, 1963, pp. 121–36</ref> Also associated with these spectacular burial mounds are the ], an ancient people who lived in the ] lying in Siberian Russia on the ], near the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.<ref name="nova">{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2517siberian.html |title=Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden |publisher=PBS – NOVA |access-date=2007-07-31 }}</ref> The archaeological site on the Ukok Plateau associated with the ] is included in the ] ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/768 |title=Golden Mountains of Altai |publisher=UNESCO | access-date=2007-07-31}}</ref> The monuments of these cultures coincide with the ] (]) monuments. Scytho-Siberian monuments have common features and sometimes, common genetic roots.<ref>Akishev K.A., Kushaev G.A., ''Ancient culture of Sakas and Usuns in the valley of river Ili'', Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences publication, 1963, pp. 121–36</ref> Also associated with these spectacular burial mounds are the ], an ancient people who lived in the ] that lay in Siberian Russia on the ], near the borders with China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.<ref name="nova">{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2517siberian.html |title=Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden |publisher=PBS – NOVA |access-date=2007-07-31 }}</ref> The archaeological site on the Ukok Plateau associated with the ] is included in the ] ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/768 |title=Golden Mountains of Altai |publisher=UNESCO | access-date=2007-07-31}}</ref>


Scythian-Saka-Siberian classification includes monuments from the 8th to the 3rd century BC. This period is called the Early or Ancient ] epoch. "]" monuments date from the 3rd century BC to the 6th century AD, and ] ones from the 6th century AD to the 13th century AD, leading up to the ] epoch.{{Cn|date=January 2024}} Scytho-Siberian classification includes monuments from the eighth to the third century BC. This period is called the Early or Ancient ] epoch. "]" monuments date from the third century BC to the sixth century AD, and ] ones from the sixth century AD to the thirteenth century AD, leading up to the ] epoch.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}


===Cultural influence=== == Use ==
] being mourned by his warriors'', an 1899 painting by ]. This burial rite, with the funerary tumulus, is typical of both Scandinavian and ]ic customs.]]
The tradition of kurgan burials was adopted by some neighboring peoples who did not have such a tradition. Various Thracian kings and chieftains were buried in elaborate mound tombs found in modern Bulgaria; ], the father of ], was buried in a kurgan in present Greece; and ], a king of ancient ], was buried in a kurgan near his ancient capital of Gordion.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Mediterranean/Midas/intro.shtml |title=The Funerary Feast of King Midas @ UPM<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-02-07 |archive-date=2007-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204003516/http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Mediterranean/Midas/intro.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Usage==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2024}} {{More citations needed section|date=January 2024}}


===Architecture=== === Architecture ===
Burial mounds are complex structures with internal chambers. Within the burial chamber at the heart of the kurgan, elite individuals were buried with grave goods and sacrificial offerings, sometimes including horses and ]s. The structures of the earlier ] period from the 4th to the 3rd millenniums BC, and Bronze Age until the 1st millennium BC, display continuity of the archaic forming methods. They were inspired by common ritual-] ideas. Burial mounds are complex structures with internal chambers. Within the burial chamber at the heart of the kurgan, elite individuals were buried with grave goods and sacrificial offerings, sometimes including horses and ]s. The structures of the earlier ] period from the fourth to the third millenniums BC, and Bronze Age until the first millennium BC, display continuity of the archaic forming methods. They were inspired by common ritual-] concepts.


====Common components==== ==== Common components ====
], Bulgaria]] ], Bulgaria]]
In all periods, the development of the kurgan structure tradition in the various ethnocultural zones is revealed by common components or typical features in the construction of the monuments. They include: In all periods, the development of the kurgan structure tradition in the various ethnocultural zones is revealed by common components or typical features in the construction of the monuments. They include:
Line 48: Line 44:
* funeral, ritual, and other traits * funeral, ritual, and other traits
* the presence of an altar in the chamber * the presence of an altar in the chamber
* stone fence * a stone fence
* ] * a ]
* ] * a ]
* funeral paths from the moat or bulwark.
* the presence of an entryway into the chamber, into the tomb, into the fence, or into the kurgan * the presence of an entryway into the chamber, into the tomb, into the fence, or into the kurgan
* the location of a ] site on the embankments, inside the mound, inside the moat, inside the embankments, and in their links, entryways, and around the kurgan * the location of a ] site on the embankments, inside the mound, inside the moat, inside the embankments, and in their links, entryways, and around the kurgan
* the location of a fire pit in the chamber * a fire pit in the chamber
* a wooden roof over or under the kurgan, at the top of the kurgan, or around the kurgan * a wooden roof over or under the kurgan, at the top of the kurgan, or around the kurgan
* the location of stone statues, columns, poles and other objects; bypass passages inside the kurgan, inside tombs, or around the kurgan * the location of stone statues, columns, poles, and other objects
* bypass passages inside the kurgan, inside tombs, or around the kurgan
* funeral paths from the moat or bulwark.
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}


Depending on the combination of these elements, each historical and cultural nomadic zone has certain architectural distinctions. Depending on the combination of these elements, each historical and cultural nomadic zone has certain architectural distinctions.


====Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans (Bronze Age)==== ==== Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans (Bronze Age) ====
In the Bronze Age, kurgans were built with stone reinforcements. Some of them are believed to be Scythian burials with built-up soil, and embankments reinforced with stone (Olhovsky, 1991). In the Bronze Age, kurgans were built with stone reinforcements. Some of them are believed to be Scythian burials with built-up soil and embankments reinforced with stone (Olhovsky, 1991).


Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans were surface kurgans. Wooden or stone tombs were constructed on the surface or underground and then covered with a kurgan. The kurgans of Bronze culture across Europe and Asia were similar to housing; the methods of house construction were applied to the construction of the tombs.<ref name="autogenerated1">Margulan A.N., "Architecture of the ancient period" in the ''Architecture of Kazakhstan'', 1956, Alma-Ata, (pp 9-95)</ref> Kurgan ''Ak-su - Aüly'' (12th–11th centuries BC) with a tomb covered by a pyramidal timber roof under a kurgan has space surrounded by double walls serving as a bypass corridor. This design has analogies with Begazy, Sanguyr, Begasar, and Dandybay kurgans.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> These building traditions survived into the early Middle Ages, to the 8th–10th centuries AD. Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans were surface kurgans. Wooden or stone tombs were constructed on the surface or underground and then covered with a kurgan. The kurgan tombs of Bronze culture across Europe and Asia were similar in construction to the methods of house construction in the culture.<ref name="autogenerated1">Margulan A.N., "Architecture of the ancient period" in the ''Architecture of Kazakhstan'', 1956, Alma-Ata, (pp 9-95)</ref> Kurgan ''Ak-su - Aüly'' (twelfth–eleventh centuries BC) with a tomb covered by a pyramidal timber roof under a kurgan has space surrounded by double walls serving as a bypass corridor. This design has analogies with Begazy, Sanguyr, Begasar, and Dandybay kurgans.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> These building traditions survived into the early Middle Ages, to the eighth–tenth centuries AD.


The Bronze Pre-Scytho-Sibirian culture developed in close similarity with the cultures of ], ], ], southern, and southeast ] regions. The Bronze Pre-Scytho-Sibirian culture developed in close similarity with the cultures of ], ], ], southern, and southeast ] regions.


Some kurgans had facing or tiling. One tomb in Ukraine has 29 large limestone slabs set on end in a circle underground. They were decorated with carved geometrical ornamentation of ]es, ]s, ]es, and on one slab, figures of people. Another example has an earthen kurgan under a wooden cone of thick logs topped by an ornamented cornice up to 2 m in height. Some kurgans had facing or tiling. One tomb in Ukraine has 29 large limestone slabs set on end in a circle underground. They were decorated with carved geometrical ornamentation of ]es, ]s, ]es, and on one slab, figures of people. Another example has an earthen kurgan under a wooden cone of thick logs topped by an ornamented cornice up to 2 m in height.


====Scytho-Siberian kurgans (Early Iron Age)==== ==== Scytho-Siberian kurgans (Early Iron Age) ====
] (London, 1856)<ref></ref> of the so-called "Tomb of Mithridates", ]]] ] (London, 1856)<ref></ref> of the so-called "Tomb of Mithridates", ]]]
The Scytho-Siberian kurgans in the Early ] have grandiose mounds throughout the Eurasian continent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unknownsiberia.com/2013/12/06/salbyksky-mound/ |title=Salbyksky mound |work=unknownsiberia |access-date=2014-05-09 The Scytho-Siberian kurgans in the Early ] have grandiose mounds throughout the Eurasian continent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unknownsiberia.com/2013/12/06/salbyksky-mound/ |title=Salbyksky mound |work=unknownsiberia |access-date=2014-05-09
}}</ref> }}</ref>


=== Regional and temporal sex ratios ===
===Gender===
In the eastern ] steppes and ]–] steppes during the Yamna culture,<ref name=anthonyd/> a near-equal ratio of female-to-male graves was found among kurgans.
Females were buried in about 20% of graves of the lower and middle Volga river region during the ] and ]s.<ref name=anthonyd/> Two thousand years later, females dressed as warriors were buried in the same region. David Anthony notes, "About 20% of ] – ] "warrior graves" on the lower ] and lower ] contained females dressed for battle as if they were men, a phenomenon that probably inspired the Greek tales about the ]."<ref name=anthonyd>{{cite book

In the lower and middle Volga river region during the ] and ]s, females were buried in about 20% of graves and two thousand years later, women dressed as warriors were buried in the same region.<ref name=anthonyd/> David Anthony notes, "About 20% of ] – ] 'warrior graves' on the lower ] and lower ] contained females dressed for battle... a phenomenon that probably inspired the Greek tales about the ]."<ref name=anthonyd>{{cite book
| last = Anthony | first = David W. | last = Anthony | first = David W.
| title = The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World | title = The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Line 83: Line 82:
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rOG5VcYxhiEC | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rOG5VcYxhiEC
}}</ref> }}</ref>
A near-equal ratio of male-to-female graves was found in the eastern ] steppes and ]–] steppes during the Yamna culture.<ref name=anthonyd/> In Ukraine, the ratio was intermediate between the other two regions.<ref name=anthonyd/>


In Ukraine, the ratio was intermediate between the other two regions, therefore approximately 35% were women.<ref name=anthonyd/>
==Archaeological remains==

The most obvious archeological remains associated with the ] are the great burial mounds, some over 20 m high, which dot the Ukrainian and Russian ] belts and extend in great chains for many kilometers along ridges and watersheds. From them much has been learnt about Scythian life and art.<ref>John Boardman, I.E.S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, N.G.L. Hammond. It ''The Cambridge Ancient History''. Cambridge University Press. (1992), p. 550 {{ISBN?}}</ref>
== Archaeological remains ==
The most obvious archeological remains associated with the ] are the great burial mounds, some more than 20 m high, which dot the Ukrainian and Russian ] belts and extend in great chains for many kilometers along ridges and watersheds. From them much has been learnt about Scythian life and art.<ref>John Boardman, I.E.S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, N.G.L. Hammond. It ''The Cambridge Ancient History''. Cambridge University Press. (1992), p. 550 {{ISBN?}}</ref>


=== Excavated kurgans === === Excavated kurgans ===
Some excavated kurgans include: Some excavated kurgans include:
* The ] revealed a long sequence of burials from the ] c. 4000 BC down to the burial of an elite woman of the 3rd century BC, excavated 1998–99. * The ] revealed a long sequence of burials from the ] c. 4000 BC down to the burial of an elite woman of the third century BC, excavated 1998–99.
* Kurgan 4 at Kutuluk near ], Russia, dated to c. 24th century BC, contains the skeleton of a man, estimated to have been 35 to 40 years old and about 152&nbsp;cm tall.<ref>Rose, M., ''Archaeology'', March/April, 2002{{dead link|date=August 2018}}</ref> Resting on the skeleton's bent left elbow was a copper object 65&nbsp;cm long with a blade of a diamond-shaped cross-section and sharp edges, but no point, and a handle, originally probably wrapped in leather. No similar object is known from Bronze Age Eurasian steppe cultures. * Kurgan 4 at Kutuluk near ], Russia, dated to c. 2400 BC, contains the skeleton of a man, estimated to have been 35 to 40 years old and about 152&nbsp;cm tall.<ref>Rose, M., ''Archaeology'', March/April, 2002{{dead link|date=August 2018}}</ref> Resting on the skeleton's bent left elbow was a copper object 65&nbsp;cm long with a blade of a diamond-shaped cross-section and sharp edges, but no point, and a handle, originally probably wrapped in leather. No similar object is known from Bronze Age Eurasian steppe cultures.
* The ] dates to the 3rd millennium BC. * The ] dates to the third millennium BC.
* The Novovelichkovskaya kurgan of c. 2000 BC on the Ponura River, ] region, southern Russia, contains the remains of 11 people, including an embracing couple, buried with bronze tools, stone carvings, jewelry, and ceramic vessels decorated with red ocher. The tomb is associated with the ] nomads. * The Novovelichkovskaya kurgan of c. 2000 BC on the Ponura River, ] region, southern Russia, contains the remains of 11 people, including an embracing couple, buried with bronze tools, stone carvings, jewelry, and ceramic vessels decorated with red ocher. The tomb is associated with the ] nomads.
* The ] kurgan of the 7th century BC produced a famous Scythian gold stag (now ]), next to the iron shield it decorated.<ref>Honour and Fleming, 124</ref> Apart from the principal male body with his accoutrements, the burial included thirteen humans with no adornment above him, and around the edges of the burial twenty-two ] in pairs.<ref>Honour and Fleming, 123</ref> It was excavated by ] in 1897.<ref>Piotrovsky, 29</ref> * The ] kurgan of the seventh century BC produced a famous Scythian gold stag (now at ]), next to the iron shield it decorated.<ref>Honour and Fleming, 124</ref> Apart from the principal male body with his accoutrements, the burial included thirteen humans with no adornment above him, and around the edges of the burial twenty-two ] in pairs.<ref>Honour and Fleming, 123</ref> It was excavated by ] in 1897.<ref>Piotrovsky, 29</ref>
* The ], in southern ], contains a skeleton, possibly female, c. 4th century BC, with an inscribed silver cup, gold ornaments, Scythian animal art objects and headdress reminiscent of Kazakh bridal hats; discovered in 1969. * The ], in southern ], contains a skeleton, possibly female, c. fourth century BC, with an inscribed silver cup, gold ornaments, Scythian animal art objects, and headdress reminiscent of Kazakh bridal hats; was discovered in 1969.
* Kurgan 11 of the Berel cemetery, in the ] valley of Kazakhstan, contains a tomb of c. 300 BC, with a dozen sacrificed horses preserved with their skin, hair, harnesses, and saddles intact, buried side by side on a bed of birch bark next to a funeral chamber containing the pillaged burial of two Scythian nobles; excavated in 1998. * Kurgan 11 of the Berel cemetery, in the ] valley of Kazakhstan, contains a tomb of c. 300 BC, with a dozen sacrificed horses preserved with their skin, hair, harnesses, and saddles intact, buried side by side on a bed of birch bark next to a funeral chamber containing the pillaged burial of two Scythian nobles; excavated in 1998.
* The ] Kurgan belongs to the 4th century BC and was excavated in 1971 by the ] archaeologist Boris M. Mozolevsky. It contained the famous ] that is now in exhibition in the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine, which is located inside the ], in Kyiv. This pectoral is the most famous artwork connected with the Scythians. A beautiful sword scabbard was found in the same burial pre-chamber, which was never robbed, differently from the main chamber. A second lateral burial was found intact in the same Kurgan. It belonged to a woman and her 2-year old baby girl, both very likely related to the man buried at the center of the Kurgan. She was found covered with gold, including a golden diadem and other fine golden jewels. The Tovsta Mohyla Kurgan, 60 m in diameter before the excavation, is located in present-day southern ] near the city of ] in the ] region. * The ] Kurgan belongs to the fourth century BC and was excavated in 1971 by the ] archaeologist Boris M. Mozolevsky. It contained the famous ] that is now in exhibition in the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine, which is located inside the ], in Kyiv. This pectoral is the most famous artwork connected with the Scythians. A beautiful sword scabbard was found in the antechamber of the burial, which was never robbed (differently from the main chamber). A second lateral burial was found intact in the same Kurgan. It belonged to a woman and her two-year old daughter. She was found covered with gold, including a golden diadem and other fine golden jewels. The woman's burial is interpreted as likely related to burial at the center of the Kurgan. The Tovsta Mohyla Kurgan, 60 m in diameter before the excavation, is located in present-day southern ] near the city of ] in the ].
* The Ryzhanovka kurgan, a {{convert|10|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} kurgan 125&nbsp;km south of ], ], containing the tomb of a ] chieftain, 3rd century BC, was excavated in 1996. * The Ryzhanivka kurgan, a {{convert|10|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} kurgan 125&nbsp;km south of ], ], containing the tomb of a ] chieftain, third century BC, was excavated in 1996.
* The ], in the ] of Ukraine, Scythian, dates to the early 4th century BC. * The ], in the ] of Ukraine, Scythian, dates to the early fourth century BC.
* Mamai-gora, kurgan on the banks of ] south west of ] (near the village of Velyka Znam'yanka). Known as one of the biggest ] in Europe. The height of the kurgan is 80 meters. Here were found remains of people from ], ], ], ] and ]. * ], kurgan complex on the banks of ] southwest of ] (near the village of Velyka Znamianka). Known as one of the biggest ] in Europe. The height of the kurgan is 80 meters. Here were found remains of people from ], ], ], ], and ].
* The ], near the town of ] in central ], is a ]n kurgan of c. the 4th century BC. * The ] near ], one of the oldest Scythian kurgans dating back to seventh century BC.
* The ] near ] was excavated and its assemblage included Scythian gold jewellery, which is now in the collection of the ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Мелитопольский городской краеведческий музей - MGK Мелитополь |url=http://www.mgk.zp.ua/material/12.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204122815/http://www.mgk.zp.ua/material/12.html |archive-date=2022-12-04 |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=www.mgk.zp.ua}}</ref>
* The ] is a Thracian kurgan of c. the 4th century BC.
* The ], Bulgaria, is a Thracian kurgan of c. the 3rd century BC. * The ], near the town of ] in central ], is a ]n kurgan of c. the fourth century BC.
* The ] is a Thracian kurgan of c. the fourth century BC.
* The ], Bulgaria, is a Thracian kurgan of c. the third century BC.
* The ], located on the outskirts of ], Sweden, is a large ] kurgan from c. 1000 BC. * The ], located on the outskirts of ], Sweden, is a large ] kurgan from c. 1000 BC.
* The ] is a burial memorial of the ] ruler ] from c. AD 660. * The ] is a burial memorial of the ] ruler ] from c. AD 660.
* ] kurgan, located by the ] in the northern ] hills north of ], is the tomb of Uchjulü-Chanuy (8 BC – AD 13), head of the ] confederation.<ref>{{citation | chapter-url = http://www.hostkingdom.net/siberia.html#Hsiung-Nu | publisher = Hostkingdom | title = Siberia | chapter = Hsiung-Nu | access-date = 2018-12-12 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070127042625/http://www.hostkingdom.net/siberia.html#Hsiung-Nu#Hsiung-Nu | archive-date = 2007-01-27 | url-status = dead }}.</ref> * ] kurgan, located by the ] in the northern ] hills north of ], is the tomb of Uchjulü-Chanuy (8 BC – AD 13), head of the ] confederation.<ref>{{citation | chapter-url = http://www.hostkingdom.net/siberia.html#Hsiung-Nu | publisher = Hostkingdom | title = Siberia | chapter = Hsiung-Nu | access-date = 2018-12-12 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070127042625/http://www.hostkingdom.net/siberia.html#Hsiung-Nu#Hsiung-Nu | archive-date = 2007-01-27 | url-status = dead }}.</ref>
* ], located in ], Kazakhstan * ], are located in ], Kazakhstan.
* A kurgan formation from 3000BC was unearthed in ] whilst ]'s station construction. <ref>https://arkeofili.com/besiktastaki-5-500-yillik-kurganlarin-sayisi-78e-cikti/</ref>
* The ] near ] was excavated and its assemblage included Scythian gold jewellery, which is not in the collection of the ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Мелитопольский городской краеведческий музей - MGK Мелитополь |url=http://www.mgk.zp.ua/material/12.html |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=www.mgk.zp.ua |archive-date=2022-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204122815/http://www.mgk.zp.ua/material/12.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>


===Kurgans in Poland=== === Kurgans in Poland ===
], which took place on 10 November 1444 near Varna, Bulgaria. The facade of the mausoleum is built into the side of an ancient Thracian tomb.]] ], which took place on 10 November 1444 near Varna, Bulgaria. The facade of the mausoleum is built into the side of an ancient Thracian tomb.]]
Kurgan building has a long history in Poland. The Polish word for kurgan is ''kopiec'' or ''kurhan''. Some excavated kurgans in Poland: Kurgan building has a long history in Poland. The Polish word for kurgan is ''kopiec'' or ''kurhan''. Some excavated kurgans in Poland:
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* ] has kurgans dated 4000 BC.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Krakow | place = PL | url = http://www.kwiatek.krakow.pl/skalbmierz/main2.htm | title = Skalbmierz}}.</ref> * ] has kurgans dated 4000 BC.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Krakow | place = PL | url = http://www.kwiatek.krakow.pl/skalbmierz/main2.htm | title = Skalbmierz}}.</ref>
* Zambrow<ref>{{citation | publisher = Ugzambrow | place = PL | url = http://www.ugzambrow.pl/zdjecia/kurhan_z_xi_w_pod_cieciorkami.jpg | title = Cieciorkami | format = ] | access-date = 2007-04-11 | archive-date = 2007-02-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070222092828/http://www.ugzambrow.pl/zdjecia/kurhan_z_xi_w_pod_cieciorkami.jpg | url-status = dead }}.</ref> * Zambrow<ref>{{citation | publisher = Ugzambrow | place = PL | url = http://www.ugzambrow.pl/zdjecia/kurhan_z_xi_w_pod_cieciorkami.jpg | title = Cieciorkami | format = ] | access-date = 2007-04-11 | archive-date = 2007-02-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070222092828/http://www.ugzambrow.pl/zdjecia/kurhan_z_xi_w_pod_cieciorkami.jpg | url-status = dead }}.</ref>
* Mounds at ] were described by Bishop Nankerus in 1322. Kurgan mounds dated to the Neolithic or Bronze Age included a burial of an elderly person, probably male. Some weapons and pottery fragments were also found in the tomb.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Odyssei | url = http://www.odyssei.com/pl/travel-tips/19625.html | title = Mounds in Jawczycach | access-date = 2007-04-11 | archive-date = 2016-03-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175938/http://www.odyssei.com/pl/travel-tips/19625.html | url-status = dead }}.</ref> * Mounds at ] were described by Bishop Nankerus in 1322. Kurgan mounds dated to the Neolithic or Bronze Age included a burial of an elderly person, perhaps male. Some weapons and pottery fragments were also found in the tomb.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Odyssei | url = http://www.odyssei.com/pl/travel-tips/19625.html | title = Mounds in Jawczycach | access-date = 2007-04-11 | archive-date = 2016-03-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175938/http://www.odyssei.com/pl/travel-tips/19625.html | url-status = dead }}.</ref>
* Near ] a tomb dated to the ] of c. 1500 BC contains a man and woman buried together. * Near ] a tomb dated to the ] of c. 1500 BC contains a man and woman buried together.
* A kurgan burial site at ] and a kurgan cremation near ] are examples of Trzciniec culture of c. 1500 BC. * A kurgan burial site at ] and a kurgan cremation near ] are examples of Trzciniec culture of c. 1500 BC.
* The ] is located in ]. Legend says it is the burial place of ], founder of the city. * The ] is located in ]. Legend says it is the burial place of ], founder of the city.
* ], burial place of the daughter of Krakus, is located in Kraków. * ], the burial place of the daughter of Krakus, is located in Kraków.
* Piłakno near ], excavated in 1988, is an example of west Baltic kurhan culture.<ref>{{citation | title = Historycy | url = http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=1548&pid=27266&mode=threaded&show=&st=&#entry27266}}.</ref> * Piłakno near ], excavated in 1988, is an example of west Baltic kurhan culture.<ref>{{citation | title = Historycy | url = http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=1548&pid=27266&mode=threaded&show=&st=&#entry27266}}.</ref>
* In ] there is a pagan temple built upon a kurgan. Dating of this structure awaited results of carbon 14 tests in 2001.<ref>''Odkrywca''. nr1(25), 01.2001, {{citation|title=Historycy |url=http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=151 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514010115/http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=151 |archive-date=May 14, 2013 }}.</ref> * In ] there is a pagan temple built upon a kurgan. Dating of this structure awaited results of carbon 14 tests in 2001.<ref>''Odkrywca''. nr1(25), 01.2001, {{citation|title=Historycy |url=http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=151 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514010115/http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=151 |archive-date=May 14, 2013 }}.</ref>
* The mound called ''Kopiec Tatarski'' at ] is triangular in shape, 10 meters in length, and pointing east. In 1869, T. Żebrawski found bones and ancient coins. In 1958, A. Kunysz found skulls and bones and medieval ]s. a structure called ''Templum S. Leonardi'' was constructed around 1534 on top of the mound; it was destroyed in ]. * The mound called ''Kopiec Tatarski'' at ] is triangular in shape, 10 meters in length, and pointing east. In 1869, T. Żebrawski found bones and ancient coins. In 1958, A. Kunysz found skulls and bones and medieval ]s. a structure called ''Templum S. Leonardi'' was constructed around 1534 AD on top of the mound; it was destroyed in ].
* ''Kopiec Esterki'' was erected in the 14th century by ] for his deceased wife. * ''Kopiec Esterki'' was erected in the fourteenth century by ] for his deceased wife.
* Burial tomb of ] (died in 1444), part of the Memorial of the ] built in 1924 in ], ]. The tomb was dug into an ancient ] kurgan (], ]). * Burial tomb of ] (died in 1444), part of the Memorial of the ] built in 1924 in ], ]. The tomb was dug into an ancient ] kurgan (], ]).
* ] in Kraków was completed in November 1823 as a memorial to ] * ] in Kraków was completed in November 1823 as a memorial to ]
* The ] was completed in ] in 1980. Artificial mound in modern-day Ukraine. * The ] was completed in ] in 1980, as an artificial mound in modern-day Ukraine.
* A ] was constructed to honor poet ] in 1898. * A ] was constructed to honor poet ] in 1898.
* ''Kopiec Wyzwolenia'' (Mound of Liberation) commemorates the 250th anniversary of the passage of the Polish Hussars through the city of ] under ]. It was completed in 1937.<ref>]</ref> * ''Kopiec Wyzwolenia'' (Mound of Liberation) commemorates the 250th anniversary of the passage of the Polish Hussars through the city of ] under ]. It was completed in 1937.<ref>]</ref>
Line 137: Line 139:
== See also == == See also ==
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
Line 144: Line 147:
* ] * ]


==References== == References ==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist|2}}


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* "The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe: Selected Articles Form 1952 to 1993" von Marija Gimbutas u.a., {{ISBN|0-941694-56-9}} * "The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe: Selected Articles Form 1952 to 1993" von Marija Gimbutas u.a., {{ISBN|0-941694-56-9}}
* "]" ed. James Mallory, D. Q. Adams, {{ISBN|1-884964-98-2}} * "]" ed. James Mallory, D. Q. Adams, {{ISBN|1-884964-98-2}}
* D. Ya. Telegin et al., ''Srednestogovskaya i Novodanilovskaya Kul'tury Eneolita Azovo-Chernomorskogo Regiona''. Kiev: Shlyakh, 2001. Reviewed by J.P. Mallory, JIES vol. 32, 3/4, p.&nbsp;363–366. * D. Ya. Telegin et al., ''Srednestogovskaya i Novodanilovskaya Kul'tury Eneolita Azovo-Chernomorskogo Regiona''. Kyiv: Shlyakh, 2001. Reviewed by J.P. Mallory, JIES vol. 32, 3/4, p.&nbsp;363–366.
* "Reconstruction Of The Genofond Peculiarities Of The Ancient Pazyryk Population (1st-2nd Millennium BC) From Gorny Altai According To The mtDNA Structure" Voevoda M.I., Sitnikova V.V., Romashchenko A.G., Chikisheva T.A., Polosmak N.V., Molodin V. I http://www.bionet.nsc.ru/bgrs/thesis/99/. * "Reconstruction Of The Genofond Peculiarities Of The Ancient Pazyryk Population (1st-2nd Millennium BC) From Gorny Altai According To The mtDNA Structure" Voevoda M.I., Sitnikova V.V., Romashchenko A.G., Chikisheva T.A., Polosmak N.V., Molodin V. I http://www.bionet.nsc.ru/bgrs/thesis/99/.
* ] 'Population of Kazakhstan from Bronze Epoch to Present (Paleoanthropological research)', Science, Alma-Ata, 1970 * ] 'Population of Kazakhstan from Bronze Epoch to Present (Paleoanthropological research)', Science, Alma-Ata, 1970
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] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 07:54, 8 January 2025

For the city in southern Russia, see Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast. For other uses, see Kurgan (disambiguation). Tumulus in Eastern Europe
Sarmatian Kurgan, fourth century BC, Fillipovka, South Urals, Russia. A dig led by Russian Academy of Sciences Archeology Institute Prof. L. Yablonsky excavated this kurgan in 2006. It is the first kurgan known to have been completely destroyed and then rebuilt to its original appearance.
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A kurgan is a type of tumulus (Burial mound) constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons, and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central Asia and Eastern, Southeast, Western, and Northern Europe during the third millennium BC.

The earliest kurgans date to the fourth millennium BC in the Caucasus, and some researchers associate these with the Indo-Europeans. Kurgans were built in the Eneolithic, Bronze, Iron, Antiquity, and Middle Ages, with ancient traditions still active in Southern Siberia and Central Asia.

Etymology

According to the Etymological dictionary of the Ukrainian language the word "kurhan" is borrowed directly from the "Polovtsian" language (Kipchak, part of the Turkic languages), and means: fortress, embankment, high grave. The word has two possible etymologies, either from the Old Turkic root qori- "to close, to block, to guard, to protect", or qur- "to build, to erect, furnish, or stur". According to Vasily Radlov it may be a cognate to qorγan, meaning "fortification, fortress, or a castle".

The Russian noun, already attested in Old East Slavic, comes from an unidentified Turkic language. Kurgans are mounds of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Popularised by its use in Soviet archaeology, the word is now widely used for tumuli in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology.

Origins and spread

Some sceptre graves could have been covered with a tumulus, placing the first kurgans as early as the fifth millennium BC in eastern Europe. However, this hypothesis is not accepted unanimously. Kurgans were used in Ukrainian and Russian steppes, their use spreading with migration into southern, central, and northern Europe in the third millennium BC. Later, Kurgan barrows became characteristic of Bronze Age peoples, and have been found from Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria (Thracians, Getae, etc.), and Romania (Getae, Dacians), the Caucasus, Russia, to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the Altay Mountains.

Kurgan hypothesis

Main article: Kurgan hypothesis

The Kurgan hypothesis is that Proto-Indo-Europeans were the bearers of the Kurgan culture of the Black Sea and the Caucasus and west of the Urals. Introduced by Marija Gimbutas in 1956, it combines kurgan archaeology with linguistics to locate the origins of the peoples who spoke the Proto-Indo-European language. She tentatively named the culture "Kurgan" after its distinctive burial mounds and traced its diffusion into Europe. The hypothesis has had a significant effect upon Indo-European studies.

Scholars who follow Gimbutas identify a "Kurgan culture" as reflecting an early Proto-Indo-European ethnicity that existed in the steppes and in southeastern Europe from the fifth millennium to the third millennium BC. In Kurgan cultures, most burials were in kurgans, either clan or individual. Most prominent leaders were buried in individual kurgans, now called "royal kurgans". These individual kurgans have attracted the most attention and publicity because they were more elaborate than clan kurgans and contained grave goods.

Scytho-Siberian monuments

The monuments of these cultures coincide with the Scytho-Siberian world (Saka) monuments. Scytho-Siberian monuments have common features and sometimes, common genetic roots. Also associated with these spectacular burial mounds are the Pazyryk, an ancient people who lived in the Altai Mountains that lay in Siberian Russia on the Ukok Plateau, near the borders with China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. The archaeological site on the Ukok Plateau associated with the Pazyryk culture is included in the Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Scytho-Siberian classification includes monuments from the eighth to the third century BC. This period is called the Early or Ancient Nomads epoch. "Hunnic" monuments date from the third century BC to the sixth century AD, and Turkic ones from the sixth century AD to the thirteenth century AD, leading up to the Mongolian epoch.

Use

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Architecture

Burial mounds are complex structures with internal chambers. Within the burial chamber at the heart of the kurgan, elite individuals were buried with grave goods and sacrificial offerings, sometimes including horses and chariots. The structures of the earlier Neolithic period from the fourth to the third millenniums BC, and Bronze Age until the first millennium BC, display continuity of the archaic forming methods. They were inspired by common ritual-mythological concepts.

Common components

Inside view of the Thracian mound tomb at Sveshtari, Bulgaria

In all periods, the development of the kurgan structure tradition in the various ethnocultural zones is revealed by common components or typical features in the construction of the monuments. They include:

  • funeral chambers
  • tombs
  • surface and underground constructions of different configurations
  • a mound of earth or stone, with or without an entrance
  • funeral, ritual, and other traits
  • the presence of an altar in the chamber
  • a stone fence
  • a moat
  • a bulwark
  • funeral paths from the moat or bulwark.
  • the presence of an entryway into the chamber, into the tomb, into the fence, or into the kurgan
  • the location of a sacrificial site on the embankments, inside the mound, inside the moat, inside the embankments, and in their links, entryways, and around the kurgan
  • a fire pit in the chamber
  • a wooden roof over or under the kurgan, at the top of the kurgan, or around the kurgan
  • the location of stone statues, columns, poles, and other objects
  • bypass passages inside the kurgan, inside tombs, or around the kurgan

Depending on the combination of these elements, each historical and cultural nomadic zone has certain architectural distinctions.

Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans (Bronze Age)

In the Bronze Age, kurgans were built with stone reinforcements. Some of them are believed to be Scythian burials with built-up soil and embankments reinforced with stone (Olhovsky, 1991).

Pre-Scytho-Sibirian kurgans were surface kurgans. Wooden or stone tombs were constructed on the surface or underground and then covered with a kurgan. The kurgan tombs of Bronze culture across Europe and Asia were similar in construction to the methods of house construction in the culture. Kurgan Ak-su - Aüly (twelfth–eleventh centuries BC) with a tomb covered by a pyramidal timber roof under a kurgan has space surrounded by double walls serving as a bypass corridor. This design has analogies with Begazy, Sanguyr, Begasar, and Dandybay kurgans. These building traditions survived into the early Middle Ages, to the eighth–tenth centuries AD.

The Bronze Pre-Scytho-Sibirian culture developed in close similarity with the cultures of Yenisei, Altai, Kazakhstan, southern, and southeast Amur regions.

Some kurgans had facing or tiling. One tomb in Ukraine has 29 large limestone slabs set on end in a circle underground. They were decorated with carved geometrical ornamentation of rhombuses, triangles, crosses, and on one slab, figures of people. Another example has an earthen kurgan under a wooden cone of thick logs topped by an ornamented cornice up to 2 m in height.

Scytho-Siberian kurgans (Early Iron Age)

Coloured lithograph by Carlo Bossoli (London, 1856) of the so-called "Tomb of Mithridates", kurgan near Kerch

The Scytho-Siberian kurgans in the Early Iron Age have grandiose mounds throughout the Eurasian continent.

Regional and temporal sex ratios

In the eastern Manych steppes and KubanAzov steppes during the Yamna culture, a near-equal ratio of female-to-male graves was found among kurgans.

In the lower and middle Volga river region during the Yamna and Poltavka cultures, females were buried in about 20% of graves and two thousand years later, women dressed as warriors were buried in the same region. David Anthony notes, "About 20% of ScythianSarmatian 'warrior graves' on the lower Don and lower Volga contained females dressed for battle... a phenomenon that probably inspired the Greek tales about the Amazons."

In Ukraine, the ratio was intermediate between the other two regions, therefore approximately 35% were women.

Archaeological remains

The most obvious archeological remains associated with the Scythians are the great burial mounds, some more than 20 m high, which dot the Ukrainian and Russian steppe belts and extend in great chains for many kilometers along ridges and watersheds. From them much has been learnt about Scythian life and art.

Excavated kurgans

Some excavated kurgans include:

  • The Ipatovo kurgan revealed a long sequence of burials from the Maykop culture c. 4000 BC down to the burial of an elite woman of the third century BC, excavated 1998–99.
  • Kurgan 4 at Kutuluk near Samara, Russia, dated to c. 2400 BC, contains the skeleton of a man, estimated to have been 35 to 40 years old and about 152 cm tall. Resting on the skeleton's bent left elbow was a copper object 65 cm long with a blade of a diamond-shaped cross-section and sharp edges, but no point, and a handle, originally probably wrapped in leather. No similar object is known from Bronze Age Eurasian steppe cultures.
  • The Maikop kurgan dates to the third millennium BC.
  • The Novovelichkovskaya kurgan of c. 2000 BC on the Ponura River, Krasnodar region, southern Russia, contains the remains of 11 people, including an embracing couple, buried with bronze tools, stone carvings, jewelry, and ceramic vessels decorated with red ocher. The tomb is associated with the Novotitorovka culture nomads.
  • The Kostromskaya kurgan of the seventh century BC produced a famous Scythian gold stag (now at Hermitage Museum), next to the iron shield it decorated. Apart from the principal male body with his accoutrements, the burial included thirteen humans with no adornment above him, and around the edges of the burial twenty-two horses were buried in pairs. It was excavated by N. I. Veselovski in 1897.
  • The Issyk kurgan, in southern Kazakhstan, contains a skeleton, possibly female, c. fourth century BC, with an inscribed silver cup, gold ornaments, Scythian animal art objects, and headdress reminiscent of Kazakh bridal hats; was discovered in 1969.
  • Kurgan 11 of the Berel cemetery, in the Bukhtarma River valley of Kazakhstan, contains a tomb of c. 300 BC, with a dozen sacrificed horses preserved with their skin, hair, harnesses, and saddles intact, buried side by side on a bed of birch bark next to a funeral chamber containing the pillaged burial of two Scythian nobles; excavated in 1998.
  • The Tovsta Mohyla Kurgan belongs to the fourth century BC and was excavated in 1971 by the Ukrainian archaeologist Boris M. Mozolevsky. It contained the famous Golden Pectoral from Tovsta Mohyla that is now in exhibition in the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine, which is located inside the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, in Kyiv. This pectoral is the most famous artwork connected with the Scythians. A beautiful sword scabbard was found in the antechamber of the burial, which was never robbed (differently from the main chamber). A second lateral burial was found intact in the same Kurgan. It belonged to a woman and her two-year old daughter. She was found covered with gold, including a golden diadem and other fine golden jewels. The woman's burial is interpreted as likely related to burial at the center of the Kurgan. The Tovsta Mohyla Kurgan, 60 m in diameter before the excavation, is located in present-day southern Ukraine near the city of Pokrov in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
  • The Ryzhanivka kurgan, a 10-metre-high (33 ft) kurgan 125 km south of Kyiv, Ukraine, containing the tomb of a Scythian chieftain, third century BC, was excavated in 1996.
  • The Solokha kurgan, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast of Ukraine, Scythian, dates to the early fourth century BC.
  • Mamai-Hora, kurgan complex on the banks of Kakhovka Reservoir southwest of Enerhodar (near the village of Velyka Znamianka). Known as one of the biggest tumulus in Europe. The height of the kurgan is 80 meters. Here were found remains of people from Bronze Age, Scythians, Sarmatians, Cimmerians, and Nogai people.
  • The Melgunov kurgan near Kropyvnytskyi, one of the oldest Scythian kurgans dating back to seventh century BC.
  • The Melitopol kurgan near Melitopol was excavated and its assemblage included Scythian gold jewellery, which is now in the collection of the Melitopol Museum of Local History.
  • The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria, is a Thracian kurgan of c. the fourth century BC.
  • The Aleksandrovo kurgan is a Thracian kurgan of c. the fourth century BC.
  • The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari, Bulgaria, is a Thracian kurgan of c. the third century BC.
  • The Håga Kurgan, located on the outskirts of Uppsala, Sweden, is a large Nordic Bronze Age kurgan from c. 1000 BC.
  • The Pereshchepina Kurgan is a burial memorial of the Bulgarian ruler Kubrat from c. AD 660.
  • Noin-Ula kurgan, located by the Selenga River in the northern Mongolia hills north of Ulan Bator, is the tomb of Uchjulü-Chanuy (8 BC – AD 13), head of the Hun confederation.
  • Boralday tombs, are located in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • A kurgan formation from 3000BC was unearthed in Beşiktaş whilst Istanbul Metro M7's station construction.

Kurgans in Poland

Memorial of the Battle of Varna, which took place on 10 November 1444 near Varna, Bulgaria. The facade of the mausoleum is built into the side of an ancient Thracian tomb.

Kurgan building has a long history in Poland. The Polish word for kurgan is kopiec or kurhan. Some excavated kurgans in Poland:

  • Burial mounds of the Unetice culture include fourteen kurgans dated to 2000–1800 BC
  • Kraśnik Neolithic (Stone Age) kurhans
  • Tombs at Pleśnik
  • Trawiasta Buczyna — hundreds of stone kurhans dated to 1200–1000 BC
  • Skalbmierz has kurgans dated 4000 BC.
  • Zambrow
  • Mounds at Jawczyce were described by Bishop Nankerus in 1322. Kurgan mounds dated to the Neolithic or Bronze Age included a burial of an elderly person, perhaps male. Some weapons and pottery fragments were also found in the tomb.
  • Near Sieradz a tomb dated to the Trzciniec culture of c. 1500 BC contains a man and woman buried together.
  • A kurgan burial site at Łubna-Jakusy and a kurgan cremation near Guciów are examples of Trzciniec culture of c. 1500 BC.
  • The Krakus Mound is located in Kraków. Legend says it is the burial place of Krakus, founder of the city.
  • Wanda Mound, the burial place of the daughter of Krakus, is located in Kraków.
  • Piłakno near Mrągowo, excavated in 1988, is an example of west Baltic kurhan culture.
  • In Bełchatow there is a pagan temple built upon a kurgan. Dating of this structure awaited results of carbon 14 tests in 2001.
  • The mound called Kopiec Tatarski at Przemyśl is triangular in shape, 10 meters in length, and pointing east. In 1869, T. Żebrawski found bones and ancient coins. In 1958, A. Kunysz found skulls and bones and medieval ceramics. a structure called Templum S. Leonardi was constructed around 1534 AD on top of the mound; it was destroyed in World War II.
  • Kopiec Esterki was erected in the fourteenth century by Casimir III of Poland for his deceased wife.
  • Burial tomb of Władysław III of Poland (died in 1444), part of the Memorial of the Battle of Varna built in 1924 in Varna, Bulgaria. The tomb was dug into an ancient Thracian kurgan (tumulus, burial mound).
  • Kościuszko Mound in Kraków was completed in November 1823 as a memorial to Tadeusz Kościuszko
  • The Union of Lublin Mound was completed in Lviv in 1980, as an artificial mound in modern-day Ukraine.
  • A Mound of Immortality was constructed to honor poet Adam Mickiewicz in 1898.
  • Kopiec Wyzwolenia (Mound of Liberation) commemorates the 250th anniversary of the passage of the Polish Hussars through the city of Piekary Śląskie under John III Sobieski. It was completed in 1937.
  • Piłsudski's Mound in Kraków honors Polish general and politician Józef Piłsudski.

See also

References

  1. Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2019). "Kurgan". Dictionary.com. Random House.
  2. Kipfer 2000, p. 291.
  3. Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 339.
  4. Етимологічний словник української мови: В 7 т. / АН УРСР. Ін-т мовознавства ім. О. О. Потебні; Редкол. О. С. Мельничук (головний ред.) та ін. — К.: Наук. думка, 1983. Т. 3: Кора — М / Укл.: Р. В. Болдирєв та ін. — 1989. — 552 с. стр. 152
  5. Acta philologica. Vol. 5. University of Warsaw. 1972. p. 175.
  6. Vasmer, Max (1953–1958). Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Winter. p. 2424. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  7. Govedarica 2016, p. 85.
  8. "Kazakhstan will provide tourists with an access to Saka kurgans". www.advantour.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  9. Turbat, Tsagaan. "First Excavation of Pazyryk Kurgans in Mongolian Altai". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Akishev K.A., Kushaev G.A., Ancient culture of Sakas and Usuns in the valley of river Ili, Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences publication, 1963, pp. 121–36
  11. "Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden". PBS – NOVA. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  12. "Golden Mountains of Altai". UNESCO. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  13. ^ Margulan A.N., "Architecture of the ancient period" in the Architecture of Kazakhstan, 1956, Alma-Ata, (pp 9-95)
  14. British Museum
  15. "Salbyksky mound". unknownsiberia. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  16. ^ Anthony, David W. (2007). The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-05887-0.
  17. John Boardman, I.E.S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, N.G.L. Hammond. It The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. (1992), p. 550
  18. Rose, M., Cudgel Culture Archaeology, March/April, 2002
  19. Honour and Fleming, 124
  20. Honour and Fleming, 123
  21. Piotrovsky, 29
  22. "Мелитопольский городской краеведческий музей - MGK Мелитополь". www.mgk.zp.ua. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  23. "Hsiung-Nu", Siberia, Hostkingdom, archived from the original on 2007-01-27, retrieved 2018-12-12.
  24. https://arkeofili.com/besiktastaki-5-500-yillik-kurganlarin-sayisi-78e-cikti/
  25. Polish Misplaced Pages
  26. Mogily, PL: GDA, archived from the original on 2006-11-08, retrieved 2007-04-11
  27. Skalbmierz, PL: Krakow.
  28. Cieciorkami, PL: Ugzambrow, archived from the original (JPEG) on 2007-02-22, retrieved 2007-04-11.
  29. Mounds in Jawczycach, Odyssei, archived from the original on 2016-03-03, retrieved 2007-04-11.
  30. Historycy.
  31. Odkrywca. nr1(25), 01.2001, Historycy, archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
  32. Polish Misplaced Pages

Sources

  • Hugh Honour and John Fleming, A World History of Art, 1st edn. 1982 (many later editions), Macmillan, London, page refs to 1984 Macmillan 1st edn. paperback. ISBN 0333371852
  • Govedarica, Blagoje (2016), Conflict or Coexistence: Steppe and Agricultural Societies in the Early Copper Age of the Northwest Black Sea Area
  • Kipfer, Barbara Ann (2000), Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, Springer
  • Mallory, J.P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, Taylor & Francis
  • Piotrovsky, Boris, et al. "Excavations and Discoveries in Scythian Lands", in From the Lands of the Scythians: Ancient Treasures from the Museums of the U.S.S.R., 3000 B.C.–100 B.C. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 32, no. 5 (1974), available online as a series of PDFs (bottom of the page).

Further reading

  • "In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth" by J. P. Mallory, ISBN 0-500-27616-1
  • "The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe: Selected Articles Form 1952 to 1993" von Marija Gimbutas u.a., ISBN 0-941694-56-9
  • "Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture" ed. James Mallory, D. Q. Adams, ISBN 1-884964-98-2
  • D. Ya. Telegin et al., Srednestogovskaya i Novodanilovskaya Kul'tury Eneolita Azovo-Chernomorskogo Regiona. Kyiv: Shlyakh, 2001. Reviewed by J.P. Mallory, JIES vol. 32, 3/4, p. 363–366.
  • "Reconstruction Of The Genofond Peculiarities Of The Ancient Pazyryk Population (1st-2nd Millennium BC) From Gorny Altai According To The mtDNA Structure" Voevoda M.I., Sitnikova V.V., Romashchenko A.G., Chikisheva T.A., Polosmak N.V., Molodin V. I http://www.bionet.nsc.ru/bgrs/thesis/99/.
  • O. Ismagulov 'Population of Kazakhstan from Bronze Epoch to Present (Paleoanthropological research)', Science, Alma-Ata, 1970

External links

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