Вміщено наукові публікації за результатами археологічних досліджень, здійснених на Більському гор... more Вміщено наукові публікації за результатами археологічних досліджень, здійснених на Більському городищі та в його окрузі в 2016 році.
Для археологів, істориків, краєзнавців, фахівців пам’яткоохоронної справи, працівників музеїв, широкого загалу шанувальників стародавньої історії.
О погребальном обряде и культе предков у лесостепного населения
скифского времени, использовании ... more О погребальном обряде и культе предков у лесостепного населения скифского времени, использовании в нем антропоморфной керами ческой пластики
The article is dedicated to the investigation of the tradition associated with the building
of wo... more The article is dedicated to the investigation of the tradition associated with the building of wooden pillar tombs in the North Black Sea region of the Bronze Age — the beginning of the early Iron Age. The results indicated that this tradition resembles the one that appeared among Iranian-speaking population in the late Bronze Age. The development of the tradition on the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe of the North Black Sea region in the pre- and early Scythian times resulted from the interaction of the local Belozersky and eastern (peculiar for central Kazakhstan) elements. The cultural impulses from Central Europe had a particular impact on this process. Key words: the North Black Sea region, the Bronze Age — the early Iron Age, pillar tombs, the Iranian-speaking nomads
The article is dedicated to some topical problems of the research of the archaic necropolis Ponti... more The article is dedicated to some topical problems of the research of the archaic necropolis Pontic Olbia (mid. VI –
first quarter of V C. BC). There was specified the total amount of the burials, and we suggested a typological variant of
the burial structures. Up to modern standard of knowledge there was made an attempt to single out Hellenic and barbarian
ethnic indicators among burial equipment. As a result of the correlation of mortuary rite of the archaic necropolis of
Olvia with synchronous Greek burials, the author subscribes to the opinion of those researches which believe that a single
Greek mortuary rite did not exist in that period. In addition, we draw the conclusion that to date, the characteristics of
necropolises can not warrant without reserve for the correlation of the colonies of the Northern Black Sea Littoral with
concrete parent states
The problem under review of this article is paleodemography of the population of
the Lower Bug o... more The problem under review of this article is paleodemography of the population of
the Lower Bug of VI—mid. V c. B. C. The approved estimates to date allows to state that
instead of several waves of colonists, the land settlement took place in an organized way
owing to natural growth of Olvian population. The temporary disappearance of the chora
in the end of the first third of V c. B. C. can be connected with unstable situation in the
steppe. After the establishment of amity with the Scythians Olvia that possessed considerable
labour resources in the second half of V c. B. C., moves to general reclamation of the all
Lower bug.
In the article there examined under-barrow burials of VI—the middle of V century BC
that have be... more In the article there examined under-barrow burials of VI—the middle of V century BC
that have been researched not far from Olviya. There adduces the history of the sites
research and investigates the principal moments of the discussion concerning the Greek or
the Scythian ethnic belonging of the burial. The characteristic features of the burial tradition
of this people (right-angled borrowing pits, east-west orientation of the tombs and the
buried, wood covering and wall revetment, inventory) draw analogies with synchronous
Scythian burials. On the assumption of this, Scythian ethnic belonging of the buried in the
Lower Bug littoral necropolis of the late archaic and early classic periods seems to be more
well-grounded.
"The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5th c. ... more "The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5th c. BC on the territory
of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. In the second half of the 6th – the beginning of the 5th cc. BC signifi cant
changes occurred in the pottery assemblage of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe, especially in the
production of table and household vessels. A completely new category of hand-made ware appeared, i.e. jars.
In this context, the following issues appear to be the most relevant: origin of the form, function of the ware,
and territorial and chronological differentiations. The authors are of the opinion that the new form appeared
under the infl uence of an external tradition, that of classical antiquity; however, the true reasons lie in the
change of economic priorities that infl uenced the diet. In the 5th–4th cc. BC jars replaced some categories of
table and household vessels and became part of the regular household utensils."
The work is devoted to the characterization of archaeological sites siverskodo-
netskoho steppe S... more The work is devoted to the characterization of archaeological sites siverskodo- netskoho steppe Scythian period. Historiographic review study of the main problems of the region, identified five periods of evolution Material Culture and the three major periods in the history of ethno-cultural local tribe. A complete and systematic description Siverskiy Donetsk population Scythian period. For historians, archaeologists, museum workers, teachers of higher schools, local historians, anyone interested in ancient testi- evolving Black.
The work is dedicated to the publication of the results received from
the excavations of the Gris... more The work is dedicated to the publication of the results received from the excavations of the Grishkovskij barrow sepulcher of the Scithian time founded in Kharkov region. The monograph contains the analysis of the sepulchral ceremony and artifacts (equipment) discovered in the burial. There are discussed the problems of social structure, household activity, and ethno-cultural belonging of the buried in necropolis. In addition, the place of the Grishkovskij barrow among the synchronous sites of the South of Eastern Europe is defined. For historians, archaeologists, museum staff, teachers and students, and for all those interested ancient history of Ukraine.
In the article, the results of excavations of
the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area
“4th F... more In the article, the results of excavations of the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area “4th Field”) are presented. In the burial of the beginning of the transitional period (580/570— 560/550 BC), a set of handmade pottery, two iron bits, a spearhead and a quiver with arrowheads were found. The arrowhead set makes possible to synchronise it with other warrior burials of the time of the eve of nomad campaign to the Hallstatt and Lusatian lands around the middle of the 6th century BC. Complexes with similar arrowhead sets could belong to warriors, who moved to the compaign to the west after the conquering of the Eastern European forest-steppe tribes.
Гречко Д.С., Окатенко В.М., Крютченко О.О., Пеляшенко К.Ю. Розвідки на Харківщині // Археологічні... more Гречко Д.С., Окатенко В.М., Крютченко О.О., Пеляшенко К.Ю. Розвідки на Харківщині // Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2019 р. - Київ: ІА НАНУ, 2020. с. 281-285.
Three main stages can be distinguished in the development of settlement structures on the territo... more Three main stages can be distinguished in the development of settlement structures on the territory of Dnieper left bank
forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of Dnieper left bank forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of high
terraces of small rivers in the interfluve of the lower reaches of the Psel and Vorskla rivers, to the south of the Grun river,
was settled in the early Scythian period, which was characterized by a more humid climate compared to modern conditions.
The resource zones of the first settlements were represented by soils with maximum convenient for cultivation (ordinary
chernozem, leached and podzolized). In the Middle Scythian period, which was drier than the previous one, the number of
settlements in the floodplains increased, where meadow, sod and bog soils dominated. In the third stage (the last quarter
of the 5th—4th centuries BC), the number of sites decreased, and new sites located at the rivers (the percentage of darkgray
podzolized soils decreased), which could indicate the climate aridity at that time. As a result, the spatial analysis of the
archaeological and paleopedological data showed its validity and can be used in the study of Scythian time sites and sites
of other periods.
Grechko D. 2023. Western frontier of the Archaic Scythia: typo-chronology vs radiocarbon dating. ... more Grechko D. 2023. Western frontier of the Archaic Scythia: typo-chronology vs radiocarbon dating. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 75/1, 405-436. One of the key issues in the chronology of Late Hallstatt period is the so-called Hallstatt plateau in the calibration curve extending the calibrated range of single dates to c. 800-400 BC. Analysis of the 14 C dates of the ash-hill from the Chotyniec hillfort, indicate its dating to the time range, which does not exceed the interval of 780-469 BC. Typological analysis of the artefact collection allows us to date the ash-hill to the middle of the 7 th-the first third of the 6 th century BC (HaС2-HaD1). This dating corresponds to the Early Scythian time and chronology of the Western Podillian group. The analysis of material culture allows us to indicate the immediate closeness of the Chotyniec agglomeration to the Western Podillian group.
The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction
of the lifeways and economics of the part of ... more The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian period. The question of the role of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural history of the population is one of the most important, since the correct assessment of the interaction between the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe during Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This led to the use of several ecological niches, which was reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture (chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains of the region, leaving behind the main type of sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally different from the settled agricultural population. The study proposes the conditional use of the term «nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the time of their penetration into the region. In the new conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within a limited territory of movement, permanent winter houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc. At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general, it can be assumed that the migration of nomads into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the local sedentary population.
Феномен Більського городища . – Київ-Котельва: ЦП НАН України і УТОПІК,, 2022
The paper presents data about the main overland routes of the Dnipro
Left bank Forest-Steppe, whi... more The paper presents data about the main overland routes of the Dnipro Left bank Forest-Steppe, which were very important for the population of the region during the Scythian time. The data about the roads passing both in the latitudinal and in the meridional directions are given. Among the roads, the Muravsky Shlyakh with branches and the sub-latitudinal road, which was also known in the Middle Ages as a trans-European route from the Bulgars to Kyiv, stand out for their signifi cance. The roads in the direction to the Dnipro ferriages along the right bank of the Vorskla and along the watershed of the Sula and Khorol rivers were important. Roads of local importance are represented by the Sahaydak road, Bakayiv Shlyakh and others. I can agree with the researchers that the overland communications were of greater importance than river ones.
Вміщено наукові публікації за результатами археологічних досліджень, здійснених на Більському гор... more Вміщено наукові публікації за результатами археологічних досліджень, здійснених на Більському городищі та в його окрузі в 2016 році.
Для археологів, істориків, краєзнавців, фахівців пам’яткоохоронної справи, працівників музеїв, широкого загалу шанувальників стародавньої історії.
О погребальном обряде и культе предков у лесостепного населения
скифского времени, использовании ... more О погребальном обряде и культе предков у лесостепного населения скифского времени, использовании в нем антропоморфной керами ческой пластики
The article is dedicated to the investigation of the tradition associated with the building
of wo... more The article is dedicated to the investigation of the tradition associated with the building of wooden pillar tombs in the North Black Sea region of the Bronze Age — the beginning of the early Iron Age. The results indicated that this tradition resembles the one that appeared among Iranian-speaking population in the late Bronze Age. The development of the tradition on the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe of the North Black Sea region in the pre- and early Scythian times resulted from the interaction of the local Belozersky and eastern (peculiar for central Kazakhstan) elements. The cultural impulses from Central Europe had a particular impact on this process. Key words: the North Black Sea region, the Bronze Age — the early Iron Age, pillar tombs, the Iranian-speaking nomads
The article is dedicated to some topical problems of the research of the archaic necropolis Ponti... more The article is dedicated to some topical problems of the research of the archaic necropolis Pontic Olbia (mid. VI –
first quarter of V C. BC). There was specified the total amount of the burials, and we suggested a typological variant of
the burial structures. Up to modern standard of knowledge there was made an attempt to single out Hellenic and barbarian
ethnic indicators among burial equipment. As a result of the correlation of mortuary rite of the archaic necropolis of
Olvia with synchronous Greek burials, the author subscribes to the opinion of those researches which believe that a single
Greek mortuary rite did not exist in that period. In addition, we draw the conclusion that to date, the characteristics of
necropolises can not warrant without reserve for the correlation of the colonies of the Northern Black Sea Littoral with
concrete parent states
The problem under review of this article is paleodemography of the population of
the Lower Bug o... more The problem under review of this article is paleodemography of the population of
the Lower Bug of VI—mid. V c. B. C. The approved estimates to date allows to state that
instead of several waves of colonists, the land settlement took place in an organized way
owing to natural growth of Olvian population. The temporary disappearance of the chora
in the end of the first third of V c. B. C. can be connected with unstable situation in the
steppe. After the establishment of amity with the Scythians Olvia that possessed considerable
labour resources in the second half of V c. B. C., moves to general reclamation of the all
Lower bug.
In the article there examined under-barrow burials of VI—the middle of V century BC
that have be... more In the article there examined under-barrow burials of VI—the middle of V century BC
that have been researched not far from Olviya. There adduces the history of the sites
research and investigates the principal moments of the discussion concerning the Greek or
the Scythian ethnic belonging of the burial. The characteristic features of the burial tradition
of this people (right-angled borrowing pits, east-west orientation of the tombs and the
buried, wood covering and wall revetment, inventory) draw analogies with synchronous
Scythian burials. On the assumption of this, Scythian ethnic belonging of the buried in the
Lower Bug littoral necropolis of the late archaic and early classic periods seems to be more
well-grounded.
"The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5th c. ... more "The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5th c. BC on the territory
of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. In the second half of the 6th – the beginning of the 5th cc. BC signifi cant
changes occurred in the pottery assemblage of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe, especially in the
production of table and household vessels. A completely new category of hand-made ware appeared, i.e. jars.
In this context, the following issues appear to be the most relevant: origin of the form, function of the ware,
and territorial and chronological differentiations. The authors are of the opinion that the new form appeared
under the infl uence of an external tradition, that of classical antiquity; however, the true reasons lie in the
change of economic priorities that infl uenced the diet. In the 5th–4th cc. BC jars replaced some categories of
table and household vessels and became part of the regular household utensils."
The work is devoted to the characterization of archaeological sites siverskodo-
netskoho steppe S... more The work is devoted to the characterization of archaeological sites siverskodo- netskoho steppe Scythian period. Historiographic review study of the main problems of the region, identified five periods of evolution Material Culture and the three major periods in the history of ethno-cultural local tribe. A complete and systematic description Siverskiy Donetsk population Scythian period. For historians, archaeologists, museum workers, teachers of higher schools, local historians, anyone interested in ancient testi- evolving Black.
The work is dedicated to the publication of the results received from
the excavations of the Gris... more The work is dedicated to the publication of the results received from the excavations of the Grishkovskij barrow sepulcher of the Scithian time founded in Kharkov region. The monograph contains the analysis of the sepulchral ceremony and artifacts (equipment) discovered in the burial. There are discussed the problems of social structure, household activity, and ethno-cultural belonging of the buried in necropolis. In addition, the place of the Grishkovskij barrow among the synchronous sites of the South of Eastern Europe is defined. For historians, archaeologists, museum staff, teachers and students, and for all those interested ancient history of Ukraine.
In the article, the results of excavations of
the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area
“4th F... more In the article, the results of excavations of the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area “4th Field”) are presented. In the burial of the beginning of the transitional period (580/570— 560/550 BC), a set of handmade pottery, two iron bits, a spearhead and a quiver with arrowheads were found. The arrowhead set makes possible to synchronise it with other warrior burials of the time of the eve of nomad campaign to the Hallstatt and Lusatian lands around the middle of the 6th century BC. Complexes with similar arrowhead sets could belong to warriors, who moved to the compaign to the west after the conquering of the Eastern European forest-steppe tribes.
Гречко Д.С., Окатенко В.М., Крютченко О.О., Пеляшенко К.Ю. Розвідки на Харківщині // Археологічні... more Гречко Д.С., Окатенко В.М., Крютченко О.О., Пеляшенко К.Ю. Розвідки на Харківщині // Археологічні дослідження в Україні 2019 р. - Київ: ІА НАНУ, 2020. с. 281-285.
Three main stages can be distinguished in the development of settlement structures on the territo... more Three main stages can be distinguished in the development of settlement structures on the territory of Dnieper left bank
forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of Dnieper left bank forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of high
terraces of small rivers in the interfluve of the lower reaches of the Psel and Vorskla rivers, to the south of the Grun river,
was settled in the early Scythian period, which was characterized by a more humid climate compared to modern conditions.
The resource zones of the first settlements were represented by soils with maximum convenient for cultivation (ordinary
chernozem, leached and podzolized). In the Middle Scythian period, which was drier than the previous one, the number of
settlements in the floodplains increased, where meadow, sod and bog soils dominated. In the third stage (the last quarter
of the 5th—4th centuries BC), the number of sites decreased, and new sites located at the rivers (the percentage of darkgray
podzolized soils decreased), which could indicate the climate aridity at that time. As a result, the spatial analysis of the
archaeological and paleopedological data showed its validity and can be used in the study of Scythian time sites and sites
of other periods.
Grechko D. 2023. Western frontier of the Archaic Scythia: typo-chronology vs radiocarbon dating. ... more Grechko D. 2023. Western frontier of the Archaic Scythia: typo-chronology vs radiocarbon dating. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 75/1, 405-436. One of the key issues in the chronology of Late Hallstatt period is the so-called Hallstatt plateau in the calibration curve extending the calibrated range of single dates to c. 800-400 BC. Analysis of the 14 C dates of the ash-hill from the Chotyniec hillfort, indicate its dating to the time range, which does not exceed the interval of 780-469 BC. Typological analysis of the artefact collection allows us to date the ash-hill to the middle of the 7 th-the first third of the 6 th century BC (HaС2-HaD1). This dating corresponds to the Early Scythian time and chronology of the Western Podillian group. The analysis of material culture allows us to indicate the immediate closeness of the Chotyniec agglomeration to the Western Podillian group.
The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction
of the lifeways and economics of the part of ... more The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian period. The question of the role of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural history of the population is one of the most important, since the correct assessment of the interaction between the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe during Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This led to the use of several ecological niches, which was reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture (chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains of the region, leaving behind the main type of sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally different from the settled agricultural population. The study proposes the conditional use of the term «nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the time of their penetration into the region. In the new conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within a limited territory of movement, permanent winter houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc. At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general, it can be assumed that the migration of nomads into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the local sedentary population.
Феномен Більського городища . – Київ-Котельва: ЦП НАН України і УТОПІК,, 2022
The paper presents data about the main overland routes of the Dnipro
Left bank Forest-Steppe, whi... more The paper presents data about the main overland routes of the Dnipro Left bank Forest-Steppe, which were very important for the population of the region during the Scythian time. The data about the roads passing both in the latitudinal and in the meridional directions are given. Among the roads, the Muravsky Shlyakh with branches and the sub-latitudinal road, which was also known in the Middle Ages as a trans-European route from the Bulgars to Kyiv, stand out for their signifi cance. The roads in the direction to the Dnipro ferriages along the right bank of the Vorskla and along the watershed of the Sula and Khorol rivers were important. Roads of local importance are represented by the Sahaydak road, Bakayiv Shlyakh and others. I can agree with the researchers that the overland communications were of greater importance than river ones.
The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5 th c. ... more The article is devoted to the innovations in the ceramics tradition that appeared in the 5 th c. BC on the territory of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. In the second half of the 6 th-the beginning of the 5 th cc. BC signifi cant changes occurred in the pottery assemblage of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe, especially in the production of table and household vessels. A completely new category of handmade ware appeared, i.e. jars. In this context, the following issues appear to be the most relevant: origin of the form, function of the ware, and territorial and chronological differentiations. The authors are of the opinion that the new form appeared under the infl uence of an external tradition, that of classical antiquity; however, the true reasons lie in the change of economic priorities that infl uenced the diet. In the 5 th-4 th cc. BC jars replaced some categories of table and household vessels and became part of the regular household utensils.
he Bilsk archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sci... more he Bilsk archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine explored a part of a rampart of the Great Bilsk hill-fort on the territory of the settlement in the Tsaryna Mohyla tract in 2016—2017. The building was found in the investigated area under the embankment of the rampart. It functioned before the construction of the defensive structures of the Great Bilsk hill-fort and was used as a place for the formation of the ash hill after destruction as a result of a fire. The embankment of the rampart was covered by the layers of the settlement from the inside, which continued to function after its construction. The archaeological layers were quite clearly separated, so during the excavations it was possible to get materials from individual stratigraphic horizons. Most of the finds are represented by local handmade pottery. An analysis of the complex of handmade pottery from individual horizons made it possible to give some conclusions about changes of the inhabitants’ pottery of the settlement in a short period of time (the end of the 7th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC). In general, horizons I—IV are characterized by minimal changes in the local ceramic complex. Materials from the cultural deposits of the pre-fortification period and the time of the creation of the fortifications indicate that the pottery traditions of the local population were transformed slowly and the main form of the complex remained stable. It is indicated by the use of slightly profiled pots as cookingware and most of them had an ornament in the shape of a molded roller on the rim or neck, sometimes on the body. Tableware (bowls, ladles) and containers (very large pots) have polished surfaces and archaic morphological features. There are no forms (jugs, mugs and vessels of small sizes) which are more typical for the Middle Scythian time. Only after the building of fortifications, at the end of the 6th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC (horizon V) more noticeable changes can be traced in the pottery of the population of the Bilsk hill-fort: appearance of cookingware with expressed body profile, disappearance of the ornamentation with molded rollers tradition, the fading of the tradition of polished tableware and containers, disappearance of some groups and the spread of new forms (jugs, mugs and small vessels). Thus, the study of the part of the rampart at the territory of the settlement in the Tsaryna Mohyla tract at the Bilsk hill-fort made it possible to consider a collection of handmade pottery dated from the end of the 7th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC. It was possible to divide these materials into close chronological groups with clear stratigraphy and trace certain changes in the material complex of the end of the Early Scythian / the beginning of the Middle Scythian periods. These results clarify ideas about the development of pottery traditions of the population in the forest-steppe zone between the Dnipro and Siverskyi Donets Rivers at the Scythian time.
The scientists are still debating about quantity, dating and scale of the so-called “Scythian inv... more The scientists are still debating about quantity, dating and scale of the so-called “Scythian invasions” in Central Europe. The dating of arrowheads sets is important for clarifying the chronology of the settlement structures and burial complexes of the late Hallstatt period in Central and Eastern Europe. The arrowheads sets of the Repiakhuvata Mohyla horizon (Ha D1) in Central Europe are known only in the complexes of the Transylvanian group. The arrowheads from the destruction layers of the settlements in Eastern and Central Europe (Smolenice-Molpír, Wicina, etc.) belong to the transitional period (570/560 – 540 BC) (the boundary of the periods Ha D1/Ha D2). The arrowheads of the chronological horizon of the Vitova Mohyla correspond to those that were found in the classical burials of the Vekerzug culture (Ha D2). The find of the Western Hallstatt trophies at Bilsk may indicate the participation of nomad groups from the East in the destruction of Heuneburg.
The paper is devoted to one of the important pages
of the ethnic and cultural history of the pop... more The paper is devoted to one of the important pages of the ethnic and cultural history of the population of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area in the Scythian Age — settling of the forest-steppe parts of the basins of Sula, Psel, Seim, Seversky Donets and Middle Don rivers. The analysis of material culture of new sites in the region allowed us to make several conclusions. Most of the handmade pottery forms and the main decorative elements of the ceramic complex of the sites of Eastern Bil’s’k type dating to the middle — second half of the 6th century BC are genetically related to the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right Bank area and to more western regions of forest-steppe. Materials from the Vorskla sites of the second half of 6th century BC are significantly differ and continue the local traditions of the previous time. The differences are clearly visible when comparing the material culture of that time of Western and Eastern fortifications of the Bil’s’k settlement. This indicates that the settlements of the Dnieper-Donets forest-steppe at this time did not reason due to the demographic explosion in the Vorskla and Psel interfluves. The set of the jewelry and a costume of the migrants of the mid-6th century BC at the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area has straight analogies among the materials of the Right Bank of the Early Scythian Age. It can be assumed that the initial migration areas could have been the Kyiv Dnieper region, the eastern and western Podolyan groups of the sites where the settlement systems and burials disappeared simultaneously. The participation of the population from Ros’ river and other regions in this process can’t be ruled out. Thus, in the development of the settlement system of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area two main events that radically influenced the settling of the region by the sedentary population during the Scythian Age can be distinguished. First, during the Zhabotin period, on the territory of the Lower Vorskla and the Vorskla and Psel interfluve the settlements of the migrants from the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right Bank area appeared. In the Middle Scythian Age, as a result of the new movement of the tribes from the west, a ramified settlement system emerged. New migrants have created the settlements that are geographically united into several local groups: two in Sula, Vorskla and Seim basins, three in Psel and one each in Uday, Merle and Kolomak basins. It is interesting that new groups of the population bypassed in their resettlement the territories occupied at that time by migrants of the Zhabotin period.
Unification of regional chronological schemes is one of the key issues in Early Iron Age archaeol... more Unification of regional chronological schemes is one of the key issues in Early Iron Age archaeology. The main markers of the Late Hallstatt period are Scythian arrowheads and antique imports. Biconical glass beads, produced at the Yahorlyk settlement (in the first third of the VIth century BC), were found in the Eastern European Forest-Steppe and in the area of the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian Culture. This period is synchronised with the HaD1 of Central Europe, phase III/1 of the TLC and the late group of burials of the second phase of the Kelermes period. Its final phase is associated with the so-called “Scythian invasions” in Central Europe, which led to the decline of the Chotyniec agglomeration, West-Podolian and East-Podolian groups. A few TLC complexes of the Grodzisko Dolne, site 22, can be dated somewhat later, to the middle or second half of the VIth century BC (HaD2). Also, at this time, the Pomeranian population appeared in the south-eastern area of the Lusatian tribes and a new...
The article is devoted to the periodization of the ethno-cultural history of the population of th... more The article is devoted to the periodization of the ethno-cultural history of the population of the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank during the Scythian time. The analysis of the whole set of data allows proposing the following variant of reconstruction of the ethno–cultural history. At the beginning of the Early Iron Age, large–scale population movements took place in the territory of present–day Ukraine, resulting in a number of transitions in the settlement pattern of both the steppe and forest–steppe regions. At the end of 9th c. BC, the peoples inhabiting the Left–bank of the Dnieper River (Late Srubna and Bondarikhins’ka cultures) left the area. Before entering the basin of the Middle Vorskla in the last third of 8th c. BC of the «Zhabotyn» population from the Dnieper River Right–bank forest–steppe there was an extremely small population of the region, probably represented by nomads of pre–Scythian times (Novocherkassk cultures antiquities). Except the Vorskla, in the Dnieper–Donetsk forest–steppe, only the mounds of nomadic people are known. During the first period (the middle of the 7th – first third of the 6th centuries BC) a stable agricultural population lived only in the Middle Vorskla river basin. The semi–nomads occupied the territory of Psel river and Vorskla river basins at that time. Farmers and semi–nomads created a military and political union under the auspices of semi–nomads on this area. During the transition period (military and political crisis in the middle of the 6th century BC) there was no desolation in the Northern Black Sea region. The change of the cultures hasn’t been rapidly, which some researchers note, but it was gradually during the second – third quarter of the 6th century BC. The emergence of a new group of nomads around the middle of the 6th century BC in the Northern Black Sea region, could provoke the movement of part of the semi–nomads, which dominated in this region in Early Scythian times. The appearance of new groups of nomads coincided with the settlement of the Forest–Steppe zone between Dnieper and Don rivers about the middle of the 6th century BC or it could be reason for this process. It was accompanied by the formation of new fortifications and the transformation of some settlements into hillforts. According to available data, the semi–nomadic aristocracy legalized the power of new rulers and joined them or was defeated in the Early Scythian period. During the second period (third quarter of the 6th – first third of the 5th centuries BC) the ethnocultural history of the tribes of Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe was close to the situation described by Herodotus in the part on negotiations of steppe Scythians with kings of the Geloni, the Budini and the Melanchaeni (IV. 102, 118, 119). It was characterized by the independence of the local tribes from the steppe inhabitants. Bilsk settlement was founded exactly at that time. We have reason to believe that its construction was associated with the return from the West campaign some part of the nomads (semi–nomads?) after their arriving from the Ciscaucasia (the Geloni, the Melanchaeni, etc.). Such reconstruction doesn`t exclude the assumption of some researchers (B.A. Shramko and others) that Bilsk settlement truly is the city of Gelonus by Herodotus. The tribal associations of semi–nomads in the Eastern European Forest–Steppe (the Geloni, the Melanchaeni and others), which conquered the local agricultural population, were still an independent, significant force in the region after the settlement of the Scythians in the Northern Black Sea region at the last quarter of the 6th century BC. It’s fully correlated with information of "The Father of History". The maximum development of the settlement systems in the Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe and the exchange with the Hellenes is traced at the last quarter of 6th – the first third of 5th centuries BC. At this stage, the Steppes didn’t have a critical influence on the local tribes yet, which were independent. The development of the ethnocultural situation in the Forest–Steppe zone based on changes that were the result of previous migrations. This period ended with the destabilization at the end of the first third of the 5th century BC. The third period is characterized by the existence of the Northern Black Sea Scythia on the periphery (the end of the first third of the 5th – the beginning of the last quarter of the 4th centuries BC). The period from the recognition of the power of the royal Scythians to the end of the history of local tribes consists of two main stages in the context of Classical Scythia: 1) incorporation (end of the first – second quarters of the 5th century BC) and mutually beneficial relations (the second half of the 5th century BC – the turn of the 5th – 4th centuries BC); 2) the beginning of the negativity and the crisis during the penetration of Steppes into the Forest–Steppe (the turn of the 5th – 4th centuries BC – the beginning of the last quarter of the 4th century BC). It ends with the final of Scythia and the desolation of all necropoleis of the Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe. During the fourth period sedentarised population still lived on some sites after the disappearance of the local aristocracy burials and after the final of Scythia (end of the 4th – first third of 3rd centuries BC). Basivka and Hlynsk settlements on Sula river still used by the local population, which remained after the crisis of the end of the first third of the 3rd century BC.
The article analyzes the settlement system of the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank of the Middle S... more The article analyzes the settlement system of the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank of the Middle Scythian time. I can state a fundamental change in the settlement system of the Dnieper forest-steppe Left Bank in comparison with the Early Scythian period. A significant amount of the agricultural population related to the earlier migrants penetrates to the Dnieper forest-steppe of the Left Bank from the Right Bank. They populate significant areas of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. The phenomenal Bіlsk hillfort was created at this time. The settlement with ash-hills in the interfluve of Vorskla and Psel continues to function. The number of ash heaps increases, but their thickness and structure decrease. It should be noted that in this region only the Eastern fortifications of the Bilsk settlement and the settlements to the north from modern Okhtyrka were founded by new migrants. Several separate settlement structures emerge in the Sula, Psel and Seim basins. BC. The settlement structures in the forest-steppe had the maximum flowering from the middle of the VI to the end of the first third of the V century.
The article deals with the problem of the arrowheads of the Scythian type dating from Central Eur... more The article deals with the problem of the arrowheads of the Scythian type dating from Central Europe of the Late Hallstatt period. K e y w o r d s: Central Europe, Late Hallstatt, НаD, nomads, campaign, arrowheads, fibulae
The work is devoted to the little-known hillforts of the Sula basin and new information about the... more The work is devoted to the little-known hillforts of the Sula basin and new information about the well-known Basovka hillfort. The available data about the settlement structures of this region of the Scythian time are analyzed. Keywords: Sula basin, Scythian time, hillforts, settlement structure.
About the activities of the Summer field school of archaeology at Bilsk archaeological complex in... more About the activities of the Summer field school of archaeology at Bilsk archaeological complex in 2019. Key words: International project, Archaeology, Field school, Bilsk archaeological complex.
There are considered a jug from the burial mound «B» on the territory of the Bilsk hillfort, whic... more There are considered a jug from the burial mound «B» on the territory of the Bilsk hillfort, which was found in 2018 by the expedition led by D.S. Grechko, in the article. The morphological features of the vessel were investigated, attribution and interpretation of the product were carried out, a variant of the reconstruction of historical events, in which the ancient jug got into the environment of the forest-steppe tribes of the Dnieper Left Bank of the Scythian time, was proposed. Keywords: Early Iron Age, Dnieper Left Bank Forest-Steppe, Bilsk hillfort, burial, jug
The article provides a preliminary result of archaeological investigation near the headwaters of ... more The article provides a preliminary result of archaeological investigation near the headwaters of Poluziria river in 2019. The settlements of the Scythian time near the villages of Veselivka (3 groups of cinder heaps), Mala Rudka, Sudivka (2 groups of cinder heaps) and in Khamske tract were examined. Data verification obtained from Google Earth imagery by reconnaissance has confirmed the effectiveness of their use in the detection of cinder heaps, settlements and ploughed mounds. Key words: Dnipro Left Bank forest-steppe, Scythian time, reconnaissance, settlements, cinder heaps, mounds.
The article presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the settlementand burial ground... more The article presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the settlementand burial ground (flat necropolis) in Barvinkova gora tract in 2019. 20 householdobjects and 21 burials were investigated. The oldest object in the excavation site isthe pit № 12 with fragments of protoThasian and Lesbos amphorae of Late Archaic Period. Fragments of ceramics, fragments of amphorae, clay coating, fragments of animal bones were found in trenches and in the filling of burials. These findings can be associated with the functioning of the settlement. Burial was carried out in the pits, undercut graves and one catacomb. Most of the skeletons of the flat necropolis were oriented to the West, but one burial – to the Southeast with deviations. Some household pits cut burials, which indicates that life has revived in this area after the functioning of the flat necropolis. Key words: Dnipro Left Bank forest-steppe, Bilsk hillfort, settlement, burial ground, flat necropolis, Scythian time.
The Summer field archaeology school will work on the basis of the communal institution «Historica... more The Summer field archaeology school will work on the basis of the communal institution «Historical-cultural reservation «Bilsk» of the Poltava regional council in the villages Mala Rublivka and Bilsk (Kotelivskyj distr., Poltava reg., Ukraine) from the 15th of July – 15 August 2016.
Organizers: Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Municipal in... more Organizers: Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Municipal institution "Historical and Cultural Reserve "Bilsk", The All-Ukrainian Public Association of Archaeologists. Project Coordinators: Grechko Denys E-mail: ukrspadshina@ukr.net Korost Igor E-mail: Bilsk_gelon@ukr.net
The base of the field school will be a territory of the IKZ "Bilsk"
Dates July 17 - August 4, 2018. IV International Summer Field Archaeological School More information from the coordinators of the event. Applications for participation in the field school are accepted until July 1, 2018.
We invite you to participate in the international scientific conference of young scientists "To ... more We invite you to participate in the international scientific conference of young scientists "To dig or not to dig: Invasive and Non-invasive methods in Archaeology", which will be held on October 11—13, 2019 in the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Heroiv Stalinhrada, 12).
The topic of the conference is focused on the balance between the traditional archaeological research strategy through the destruction and the prospect of preserving archaeological sources, in particular, through the usage of non-invasive methods. The event aims to promote the communication between young scientists in the field, exchange of scientific experiences of different generations of archaeologists.
We invite you to participate in work IV International summer field archaeologycal school (Bilsk, ... more We invite you to participate in work IV International summer field archaeologycal school (Bilsk, Kotelivskyj distr., Poltava reg., Ukraine) from the July 17 – August 4, 2018. Planned excavations of mounds of Scythian time and a series of practical and theoretical events.
Dear colleagues, we invite you to participate in the Field archaeology school (Bilsk hill-fort, J... more Dear colleagues, we invite you to participate in the Field archaeology school (Bilsk hill-fort, July-August 2017)!
The Summer field archaeology school will work on the basis of the communal institution «Historical-cultural reservation «Bilsk» of the Poltava regional council in the village Bilsk (Kotelivskyj distr., Poltava reg., Ukraine) from the 17th of July – 05 August 2016. The work program of Summer field archaeology school includes field archaeological investigations and theoretical block of lectures, devoted to the different problems of history and archaeology of the Early Iron Age of Europe, questions of anthropology, actual questions of historical monuments protection, bounder with an arrangement of registration documentation for the objects of cultural heritage. Great attention will be dedicated to the use of GIS-technologies of the modern level of archaeology sciences. It is planned to carry out archeological excavations of the settlements and large-scale exploration in the territory of the Bilsk hill-fort.
Збірник містить матеріали конференції, присвяченої
проблемі балансу між застосуванням традиційних... more Збірник містить матеріали конференції, присвяченої проблемі балансу між застосуванням традиційних для археології методик та впровадженням неінвазивних методів досліджень. доповіді охоплюють хронологічний відрізок від палеоліту до модерної доби, розкривають теоретичні й практичні аспекти теми на матеріалах археологічних пам’яток України і суміжних територій. для студентів, викладачів ВНЗ гуманітарного профілю, науковців та усіх, хто цікавиться давньою історією України і суміжних територій.
Горбаненко, С. А.(відп. секретар); Гречко, Д. С., Корохіна, А. В. (ред.-упоряд.). 2017. Інтерпрет... more Горбаненко, С. А.(відп. секретар); Гречко, Д. С., Корохіна, А. В. (ред.-упоряд.). 2017. Інтерпретація археологічних джерел: здобутки та виклики. Матеріали наукової конференції молодих вчених. Київ: Стародавній світ.
Збірник є матеріалами конференції, організованої й про-
веденої Радою молодих вчених Інституту археології НАН
України. до нього увійшли статті, що фактично охоплюють
всі археологічні періоди, а також сучасні напрями й підхо-
ди з залученням методів природничих наук. У статтях пе-
реважно підняті актуальні питання археології України, а
також визначені перспективні напрями досліджень.
для студентів та викладачів ВУЗів гуманітарного
профілю, а також усіх тих, хто цікавиться стародавньою
історією України.
Дослідження валу Великого укріплення Більського городища, та курганів другої курганної групи в ... more Дослідження валу Великого укріплення Більського городища, та курганів другої курганної групи в ур. розрита Могила.
Українська археологія: здобутки, сучасний стан таперспективи: Матеріали Всеукраїнської науково-практичноїконференції з міжнародною участю (7-8 лютого 2020 р., м. Суми)., 2020
The formation of Vekerzug culture (further VC) remains debatable due to its complex formation pro... more The formation of Vekerzug culture (further VC) remains debatable due to its complex formation process and heterogeneous character. The VC is significantly younger than the Western Podolian and Transilvanian Groups dated to the middle of the 7th century BC - first third of the 6th century BC. "Scythian invasion" into Central Europe was one of the reasons of the decline of these two groups. Participants of these campaigns were armed with arrowheads of the subsequent chronological horizon, i.e. the transitional period (570/560-540 BC), which are completely non-typical for the VC. "Scythian invasion" occured prior to the formation of the VC - the post-Kyjatice settlement of Dédestapolcsány – Verebce-tető and the Kalendenbergian Smolenice - "Molpir" were destroyed. Eastern Hallstatt culture, in particular, Kalendenberg group, can be considered as a substrate for the northwestern VC group. Ceramics, decorations and funerary rites of the oldest complexes of the Chotin necropolis, may not indicate that the VC and Eastern Hallstatt culture in this region existed side by side without any visible contacts. Instead, necropolis could be attributed to the Kalendenberg group of the HaD1 period, similar to Modrany. I agree with S. Stegmann-Rajtár that the appearance of the VC occurred after the Eastern Hallstatt culture disintegration at the end of the HaD1 period. The oldest materials from the reliable VC burials belong to the post-invasion horizon (540/530 – 520 ВС, HaD2). I argue that it would be reasonable to return to the dating of the beginning of the VC to not earlier than the HaD1/HaD2 boundary and to associate its emergence with the consequences of the "Scythian invasion" into Central Europe. Complexes of the HaD1 period, which the researchers attributed as oldest VC, should be considered as belonging to the VC cultural substrate, which was different for each of the groups.
Археологічні дослідження Більського городища -, 2019
The article presents the preliminary results of excavations of the necropolis «B» barrows at the ... more The article presents the preliminary results of excavations of the necropolis «B» barrows at the Bilsk hillfort. Six barrows were investigated. The hills of all barrows were destroyed by plowing. Burial pits were oriented meridionally, some with deviations. On the bottom of the burial of mound 15 the traces of timbers (at the bottom of the funeral platform) were found. The child burial was found in the barrow 17. Attention is attracted to the burial of a heavily armed warrior in the barrow 24. Among the grave goods, in addition to weapons and ammunition, a jug of Chersonesos production was found. The burial in the barrow 28 was carried out in a wooden chamber. The burials could be preliminary dated to the 4th century BC.
АРХЕОЛОГІЧНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ БІЛЬСЬКОГО ГОРОДИЩА 2018 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF BILSK HILLFORT 2018 ЗБІРНИК НАУКОВИХ ПРАЦЬ, 2019
The article presents the preliminary results of the settlement and flat necropolis (flat necropol... more The article presents the preliminary results of the settlement and flat necropolis (flat necropolis) excavations in Barvinkova gora tract. Five objects (pits) and typical materials belong to the time of the settlement existence. After ceasing to exist the settlement in the south-western part of the tract a flat necropolis appears. In 2018 five burials were investigated, which can be dated to the 5th–4th centuries BC.
АРХЕОЛОГІЧНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ БІЛЬСЬКОГО ГОРОДИЩА 2018 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF BILSK HILLFORT 2018 ЗБІРНИК НАУКОВИХ ПРАЦЬ, 2019
The article presents the preliminary results of the «Southern» rampart within the
Great Bilsk hil... more The article presents the preliminary results of the «Southern» rampart within the Great Bilsk hillfort excavation. Studies have shown that it was built in the Scythian period, after the middle of V century BC.
АРХЕОЛОГІЧНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ БІЛЬСЬКОГО ГОРОДИЩА 2018 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF BILSK HILLFORT 2018 ЗБІРНИК НАУКОВИХ ПРАЦЬ, 2019
The article presents the preliminary results of explorations at the monuments of the Scythian tim... more The article presents the preliminary results of explorations at the monuments of the Scythian time in Sumy Region. Investigations have shown that the hillfort Bezdryk has no cultural layer. The settlement of Tokari has a slightly saturated cultural layer (V (?) – IV centuries BC). Materials from the ashpit near Khvoine village could be dated by the middle Scythian period (second half of VI–V centuries BC).
D.S. Grechko, I.I. Korost, A.V. Shelekhan
New Early Scythian materials in the funds of the HCR «B... more D.S. Grechko, I.I. Korost, A.V. Shelekhan New Early Scythian materials in the funds of the HCR «Bilsk»
The article presents the preliminary results of the analysis of two finds from the territory of Bilsk archaeological complex – a fragment of an iron sword and a horn head of the bow, which was made in animal style. Finds belong to the Early Scythian time.
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Books by Denis Grechko
Для археологів, істориків, краєзнавців, фахівців пам’яткоохоронної справи, працівників музеїв, широкого загалу шанувальників стародавньої історії.
скифского времени, использовании в нем антропоморфной керами
ческой пластики
of wooden pillar tombs in the North Black Sea region of the Bronze Age — the beginning
of the early Iron Age. The results indicated that this tradition resembles the one that appeared
among Iranian-speaking population in the late Bronze Age. The development of
the tradition on the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe of the North Black Sea region
in the pre- and early Scythian times resulted from the interaction of the local Belozersky
and eastern (peculiar for central Kazakhstan) elements. The cultural impulses from Central
Europe had a particular impact on this process.
Key words: the North Black Sea region, the Bronze Age — the early Iron Age, pillar
tombs, the Iranian-speaking nomads
first quarter of V C. BC). There was specified the total amount of the burials, and we suggested a typological variant of
the burial structures. Up to modern standard of knowledge there was made an attempt to single out Hellenic and barbarian
ethnic indicators among burial equipment. As a result of the correlation of mortuary rite of the archaic necropolis of
Olvia with synchronous Greek burials, the author subscribes to the opinion of those researches which believe that a single
Greek mortuary rite did not exist in that period. In addition, we draw the conclusion that to date, the characteristics of
necropolises can not warrant without reserve for the correlation of the colonies of the Northern Black Sea Littoral with
concrete parent states
the Lower Bug of VI—mid. V c. B. C. The approved estimates to date allows to state that
instead of several waves of colonists, the land settlement took place in an organized way
owing to natural growth of Olvian population. The temporary disappearance of the chora
in the end of the first third of V c. B. C. can be connected with unstable situation in the
steppe. After the establishment of amity with the Scythians Olvia that possessed considerable
labour resources in the second half of V c. B. C., moves to general reclamation of the all
Lower bug.
that have been researched not far from Olviya. There adduces the history of the sites
research and investigates the principal moments of the discussion concerning the Greek or
the Scythian ethnic belonging of the burial. The characteristic features of the burial tradition
of this people (right-angled borrowing pits, east-west orientation of the tombs and the
buried, wood covering and wall revetment, inventory) draw analogies with synchronous
Scythian burials. On the assumption of this, Scythian ethnic belonging of the buried in the
Lower Bug littoral necropolis of the late archaic and early classic periods seems to be more
well-grounded.
of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. In the second half of the 6th – the beginning of the 5th cc. BC signifi cant
changes occurred in the pottery assemblage of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe, especially in the
production of table and household vessels. A completely new category of hand-made ware appeared, i.e. jars.
In this context, the following issues appear to be the most relevant: origin of the form, function of the ware,
and territorial and chronological differentiations. The authors are of the opinion that the new form appeared
under the infl uence of an external tradition, that of classical antiquity; however, the true reasons lie in the
change of economic priorities that infl uenced the diet. In the 5th–4th cc. BC jars replaced some categories of
table and household vessels and became part of the regular household utensils."
netskoho steppe Scythian period. Historiographic review
study of the main problems of the region, identified five periods of evolution
Material Culture and the three major periods in the history of ethno-cultural
local tribe. A complete and systematic description Siverskiy
Donetsk population Scythian period.
For historians, archaeologists, museum workers, teachers of higher
schools, local historians, anyone interested in ancient testi-
evolving Black.
the excavations of the Grishkovskij barrow sepulcher of the Scithian
time founded in Kharkov region. The monograph contains the analysis
of the sepulchral ceremony and artifacts (equipment) discovered in the
burial. There are discussed the problems of social structure, household
activity, and ethno-cultural belonging of the buried in necropolis. In
addition, the place of the Grishkovskij barrow among the synchronous
sites of the South of Eastern Europe is defined.
For historians, archaeologists, museum staff, teachers and students,
and for all those interested ancient history of Ukraine.
Papers by Denis Grechko
the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area
“4th Field”) are presented. In the burial of the
beginning of the transitional period (580/570—
560/550 BC), a set of handmade pottery, two iron
bits, a spearhead and a quiver with arrowheads
were found. The arrowhead set makes possible to
synchronise it with other warrior burials of the
time of the eve of nomad campaign to the Hallstatt
and Lusatian lands around the middle of the 6th
century BC. Complexes with similar arrowhead
sets could belong to warriors, who moved to the
compaign to the west after the conquering of the
Eastern European forest-steppe tribes.
forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of Dnieper left bank forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of high
terraces of small rivers in the interfluve of the lower reaches of the Psel and Vorskla rivers, to the south of the Grun river,
was settled in the early Scythian period, which was characterized by a more humid climate compared to modern conditions.
The resource zones of the first settlements were represented by soils with maximum convenient for cultivation (ordinary
chernozem, leached and podzolized). In the Middle Scythian period, which was drier than the previous one, the number of
settlements in the floodplains increased, where meadow, sod and bog soils dominated. In the third stage (the last quarter
of the 5th—4th centuries BC), the number of sites decreased, and new sites located at the rivers (the percentage of darkgray
podzolized soils decreased), which could indicate the climate aridity at that time. As a result, the spatial analysis of the
archaeological and paleopedological data showed its validity and can be used in the study of Scythian time sites and sites
of other periods.
of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in
the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper
during the Scythian period. The question of the role
of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural
history of the population is one of the most important,
since the correct assessment of the interaction between
the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different
groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction
of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe during
Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper
Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient
ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This
led to the use of several ecological niches, which was
reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of
farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture
(chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources
for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest
areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated
farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several
times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains
of the region, leaving behind the main type of
sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally
different from the settled agricultural population.
The study proposes the conditional use of the term
«nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the
time of their penetration into the region. In the new
conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The
term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within
a limited territory of movement, permanent winter
houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled
population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc.
At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most
adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who
remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank
of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the
flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk
hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned
to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general,
it can be assumed that the migration of nomads
into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the
local sedentary population.
Left bank Forest-Steppe, which were very important for the population of the region during the Scythian time. The data about the roads passing both in the latitudinal and in the meridional directions are given. Among the roads, the Muravsky Shlyakh with branches and the sub-latitudinal road, which was also known in the Middle Ages as a trans-European route from the Bulgars to Kyiv, stand out for their signifi cance. The roads in the direction to the Dnipro ferriages along the right bank of the Vorskla and along the watershed of the Sula and Khorol rivers were important. Roads of local importance are represented by the Sahaydak road, Bakayiv Shlyakh and others. I can agree with the researchers that the overland communications were of greater importance than river ones.
Для археологів, істориків, краєзнавців, фахівців пам’яткоохоронної справи, працівників музеїв, широкого загалу шанувальників стародавньої історії.
скифского времени, использовании в нем антропоморфной керами
ческой пластики
of wooden pillar tombs in the North Black Sea region of the Bronze Age — the beginning
of the early Iron Age. The results indicated that this tradition resembles the one that appeared
among Iranian-speaking population in the late Bronze Age. The development of
the tradition on the territory of the steppe and forest-steppe of the North Black Sea region
in the pre- and early Scythian times resulted from the interaction of the local Belozersky
and eastern (peculiar for central Kazakhstan) elements. The cultural impulses from Central
Europe had a particular impact on this process.
Key words: the North Black Sea region, the Bronze Age — the early Iron Age, pillar
tombs, the Iranian-speaking nomads
first quarter of V C. BC). There was specified the total amount of the burials, and we suggested a typological variant of
the burial structures. Up to modern standard of knowledge there was made an attempt to single out Hellenic and barbarian
ethnic indicators among burial equipment. As a result of the correlation of mortuary rite of the archaic necropolis of
Olvia with synchronous Greek burials, the author subscribes to the opinion of those researches which believe that a single
Greek mortuary rite did not exist in that period. In addition, we draw the conclusion that to date, the characteristics of
necropolises can not warrant without reserve for the correlation of the colonies of the Northern Black Sea Littoral with
concrete parent states
the Lower Bug of VI—mid. V c. B. C. The approved estimates to date allows to state that
instead of several waves of colonists, the land settlement took place in an organized way
owing to natural growth of Olvian population. The temporary disappearance of the chora
in the end of the first third of V c. B. C. can be connected with unstable situation in the
steppe. After the establishment of amity with the Scythians Olvia that possessed considerable
labour resources in the second half of V c. B. C., moves to general reclamation of the all
Lower bug.
that have been researched not far from Olviya. There adduces the history of the sites
research and investigates the principal moments of the discussion concerning the Greek or
the Scythian ethnic belonging of the burial. The characteristic features of the burial tradition
of this people (right-angled borrowing pits, east-west orientation of the tombs and the
buried, wood covering and wall revetment, inventory) draw analogies with synchronous
Scythian burials. On the assumption of this, Scythian ethnic belonging of the buried in the
Lower Bug littoral necropolis of the late archaic and early classic periods seems to be more
well-grounded.
of the Dnieper-Don forest-steppe. In the second half of the 6th – the beginning of the 5th cc. BC signifi cant
changes occurred in the pottery assemblage of the population of the Scythian forest-steppe, especially in the
production of table and household vessels. A completely new category of hand-made ware appeared, i.e. jars.
In this context, the following issues appear to be the most relevant: origin of the form, function of the ware,
and territorial and chronological differentiations. The authors are of the opinion that the new form appeared
under the infl uence of an external tradition, that of classical antiquity; however, the true reasons lie in the
change of economic priorities that infl uenced the diet. In the 5th–4th cc. BC jars replaced some categories of
table and household vessels and became part of the regular household utensils."
netskoho steppe Scythian period. Historiographic review
study of the main problems of the region, identified five periods of evolution
Material Culture and the three major periods in the history of ethno-cultural
local tribe. A complete and systematic description Siverskiy
Donetsk population Scythian period.
For historians, archaeologists, museum workers, teachers of higher
schools, local historians, anyone interested in ancient testi-
evolving Black.
the excavations of the Grishkovskij barrow sepulcher of the Scithian
time founded in Kharkov region. The monograph contains the analysis
of the sepulchral ceremony and artifacts (equipment) discovered in the
burial. There are discussed the problems of social structure, household
activity, and ethno-cultural belonging of the buried in necropolis. In
addition, the place of the Grishkovskij barrow among the synchronous
sites of the South of Eastern Europe is defined.
For historians, archaeologists, museum staff, teachers and students,
and for all those interested ancient history of Ukraine.
the Barrow 1/2020 (no. 57) in Skorobir (Area
“4th Field”) are presented. In the burial of the
beginning of the transitional period (580/570—
560/550 BC), a set of handmade pottery, two iron
bits, a spearhead and a quiver with arrowheads
were found. The arrowhead set makes possible to
synchronise it with other warrior burials of the
time of the eve of nomad campaign to the Hallstatt
and Lusatian lands around the middle of the 6th
century BC. Complexes with similar arrowhead
sets could belong to warriors, who moved to the
compaign to the west after the conquering of the
Eastern European forest-steppe tribes.
forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of Dnieper left bank forest-steppe at the Scythian time. The territory of high
terraces of small rivers in the interfluve of the lower reaches of the Psel and Vorskla rivers, to the south of the Grun river,
was settled in the early Scythian period, which was characterized by a more humid climate compared to modern conditions.
The resource zones of the first settlements were represented by soils with maximum convenient for cultivation (ordinary
chernozem, leached and podzolized). In the Middle Scythian period, which was drier than the previous one, the number of
settlements in the floodplains increased, where meadow, sod and bog soils dominated. In the third stage (the last quarter
of the 5th—4th centuries BC), the number of sites decreased, and new sites located at the rivers (the percentage of darkgray
podzolized soils decreased), which could indicate the climate aridity at that time. As a result, the spatial analysis of the
archaeological and paleopedological data showed its validity and can be used in the study of Scythian time sites and sites
of other periods.
of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in
the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper
during the Scythian period. The question of the role
of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural
history of the population is one of the most important,
since the correct assessment of the interaction between
the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different
groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction
of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe during
Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper
Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient
ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This
led to the use of several ecological niches, which was
reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of
farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture
(chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources
for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest
areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated
farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several
times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains
of the region, leaving behind the main type of
sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally
different from the settled agricultural population.
The study proposes the conditional use of the term
«nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the
time of their penetration into the region. In the new
conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The
term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within
a limited territory of movement, permanent winter
houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled
population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc.
At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most
adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who
remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank
of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the
flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk
hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned
to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general,
it can be assumed that the migration of nomads
into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the
local sedentary population.
Left bank Forest-Steppe, which were very important for the population of the region during the Scythian time. The data about the roads passing both in the latitudinal and in the meridional directions are given. Among the roads, the Muravsky Shlyakh with branches and the sub-latitudinal road, which was also known in the Middle Ages as a trans-European route from the Bulgars to Kyiv, stand out for their signifi cance. The roads in the direction to the Dnipro ferriages along the right bank of the Vorskla and along the watershed of the Sula and Khorol rivers were important. Roads of local importance are represented by the Sahaydak road, Bakayiv Shlyakh and others. I can agree with the researchers that the overland communications were of greater importance than river ones.
a part of a rampart of the Great Bilsk hill-fort on the territory of the settlement in the Tsaryna Mohyla tract in 2016—2017. The
building was found in the investigated area under the embankment of the rampart. It functioned before the construction of the
defensive structures of the Great Bilsk hill-fort and was used as a place for the formation of the ash hill after destruction as a
result of a fire. The embankment of the rampart was covered by the layers of the settlement from the inside, which continued to
function after its construction.
The archaeological layers were quite clearly separated, so during the excavations it was possible to get materials from
individual stratigraphic horizons. Most of the finds are represented by local handmade pottery.
An analysis of the complex of handmade pottery from individual horizons made it possible to give some conclusions about changes
of the inhabitants’ pottery of the settlement in a short period of time (the end of the 7th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC).
In general, horizons I—IV are characterized by minimal changes in the local ceramic complex. Materials from the cultural
deposits of the pre-fortification period and the time of the creation of the fortifications indicate that the pottery traditions of the
local population were transformed slowly and the main form of the complex remained stable. It is indicated by the use of slightly
profiled pots as cookingware and most of them had an ornament in the shape of a molded roller on the rim or neck, sometimes on
the body. Tableware (bowls, ladles) and containers (very large pots) have polished surfaces and archaic morphological features.
There are no forms (jugs, mugs and vessels of small sizes) which are more typical for the Middle Scythian time.
Only after the building of fortifications, at the end of the 6th — the first third of the 5th centuries BC (horizon V) more
noticeable changes can be traced in the pottery of the population of the Bilsk hill-fort: appearance of cookingware with expressed body profile, disappearance of the ornamentation with molded rollers tradition, the fading of the tradition of polished tableware
and containers, disappearance of some groups and the spread of new forms (jugs, mugs and small vessels).
Thus, the study of the part of the rampart at the territory of the settlement in the Tsaryna Mohyla tract at the Bilsk hill-fort
made it possible to consider a collection of handmade pottery dated from the end of the 7th — the first third of the 5th centuries
BC. It was possible to divide these materials into close chronological groups with clear stratigraphy and trace certain changes in
the material complex of the end of the Early Scythian / the beginning of the Middle Scythian periods. These results clarify ideas
about the development of pottery traditions of the population in the forest-steppe zone between the Dnipro and Siverskyi Donets
Rivers at the Scythian time.
Mohyla horizon (Ha D1) in Central Europe are known only in the complexes of the Transylvanian group. The arrowheads from the destruction layers of the settlements in Eastern and Central Europe (Smolenice-Molpír, Wicina, etc.)
belong to the transitional period (570/560 – 540 BC) (the boundary of the periods Ha D1/Ha D2). The arrowheads of the chronological horizon of the Vitova Mohyla correspond to those that were found in the classical burials of the Vekerzug culture (Ha D2). The find of the Western Hallstatt trophies at Bilsk may indicate the participation of nomad groups from the East in the destruction of Heuneburg.
of the ethnic and cultural history of the population
of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area in the
Scythian Age — settling of the forest-steppe parts of
the basins of Sula, Psel, Seim, Seversky Donets and
Middle Don rivers. The analysis of material culture of new sites in the
region allowed us to make several conclusions. Most of
the handmade pottery forms and the main decorative
elements of the ceramic complex of the sites of Eastern Bil’s’k type dating to the middle — second half of
the 6th century BC are genetically related to the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right Bank area and to more
western regions of forest-steppe. Materials from the
Vorskla sites of the second half of 6th century BC are
significantly differ and continue the local traditions of the previous time. The differences are clearly visible
when comparing the material culture of that time of
Western and Eastern fortifications of the Bil’s’k settlement. This indicates that the settlements of the Dnieper-Donets forest-steppe at this time did not reason due to the demographic explosion in the Vorskla
and Psel interfluves. The set of the jewelry and a costume of the migrants of the mid-6th century BC at the
forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area has straight
analogies among the materials of the Right Bank of the
Early Scythian Age.
It can be assumed that the initial migration areas
could have been the Kyiv Dnieper region, the eastern
and western Podolyan groups of the sites where the
settlement systems and burials disappeared simultaneously. The participation of the population from Ros’
river and other regions in this process can’t be ruled
out.
Thus, in the development of the settlement system of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area two main events that radically influenced the settling of the region by the sedentary population during the
Scythian Age can be distinguished. First, during the
Zhabotin period, on the territory of the Lower Vorskla
and the Vorskla and Psel interfluve the settlements of
the migrants from the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right
Bank area appeared. In the Middle Scythian Age, as a
result of the new movement of the tribes from the west,
a ramified settlement system emerged. New migrants
have created the settlements that are geographically
united into several local groups: two in Sula, Vorskla
and Seim basins, three in Psel and one each in Uday,
Merle and Kolomak basins. It is interesting that new
groups of the population bypassed in their resettlement the territories occupied at that time by migrants
of the Zhabotin period.
At the beginning of the Early Iron Age, large–scale population movements took place in the territory of present–day Ukraine, resulting in a number of transitions in the settlement pattern of both the steppe and forest–steppe regions. At the end of 9th c. BC, the peoples inhabiting the Left–bank of the Dnieper River (Late Srubna and Bondarikhins’ka cultures) left the area.
Before entering the basin of the Middle Vorskla in the last third of 8th c. BC of the «Zhabotyn» population from the Dnieper River Right–bank forest–steppe there was an extremely small population of the region, probably represented by nomads of pre–Scythian times (Novocherkassk cultures antiquities). Except the Vorskla, in the Dnieper–Donetsk forest–steppe, only the mounds of nomadic people are known.
During the first period (the middle of the 7th – first third of the 6th centuries BC) a stable agricultural population lived only in the Middle Vorskla river basin. The semi–nomads occupied the territory of Psel river and Vorskla river basins at that time. Farmers and semi–nomads created a military and political union under the auspices of semi–nomads on this area.
During the transition period (military and political crisis in the middle of the 6th century BC) there was no desolation in the Northern Black Sea region. The change of the cultures hasn’t been rapidly, which some researchers note, but it was gradually during the second – third quarter of the 6th century BC. The emergence of a new group of nomads around the middle of the 6th century BC in the Northern Black Sea region, could provoke the movement of part of the semi–nomads, which dominated in this region in Early Scythian times. The appearance of new groups of nomads coincided with the settlement of the Forest–Steppe zone between Dnieper and Don rivers about the middle of the 6th century BC or it could be reason for this process. It was accompanied by the formation of new fortifications and the transformation of some settlements into hillforts. According to available data, the semi–nomadic aristocracy legalized the power of new rulers and joined them or was defeated in the Early Scythian period.
During the second period (third quarter of the 6th – first third of the 5th centuries BC) the ethnocultural history of the tribes of Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe was close to the situation described by Herodotus in the part on negotiations of steppe Scythians with kings of the Geloni, the Budini and the Melanchaeni (IV. 102, 118, 119). It was characterized by the independence of the local tribes from the steppe inhabitants. Bilsk settlement was founded exactly at that time. We have reason to believe that its construction was associated with the return from the West campaign some part of the nomads (semi–nomads?) after their arriving from the Ciscaucasia (the Geloni, the Melanchaeni, etc.). Such reconstruction doesn`t exclude the assumption of some researchers (B.A. Shramko and others) that Bilsk settlement truly is the city of Gelonus by Herodotus. The tribal associations of semi–nomads in the Eastern European Forest–Steppe (the Geloni, the Melanchaeni and others), which conquered the local agricultural population, were still an independent, significant force in the region after the settlement of the Scythians in the Northern Black Sea region at the last quarter of the 6th century BC. It’s fully correlated with information of "The Father of History". The maximum development of the settlement systems in the Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe and the exchange with the Hellenes is traced at the last quarter of 6th – the first third of 5th centuries BC. At this stage, the Steppes didn’t have a critical influence on the local tribes yet, which were independent. The development of the ethnocultural situation in the Forest–Steppe zone based on changes that were the result of previous migrations. This period ended with the destabilization at the end of the first third of the 5th century BC.
The third period is characterized by the existence of the Northern Black Sea Scythia on the periphery (the end of the first third of the 5th – the beginning of the last quarter of the 4th centuries BC). The period from the recognition of the power of the royal Scythians to the end of the history of local tribes consists of two main stages in the context of Classical Scythia: 1) incorporation (end of the first – second quarters of the 5th century BC) and mutually beneficial relations (the second half of the 5th century BC – the turn of the 5th – 4th centuries BC); 2) the beginning of the negativity and the crisis during the penetration of Steppes into the Forest–Steppe (the turn of the 5th – 4th centuries BC – the beginning of the last quarter of the 4th century BC). It ends with the final of Scythia and the desolation of all necropoleis of the Dnieper Left Bank Forest–Steppe.
During the fourth period sedentarised population still lived on some sites after the disappearance of the local aristocracy burials and after the final of Scythia (end of the 4th – first third of 3rd centuries BC). Basivka and Hlynsk settlements on Sula river still used by the local population, which remained after the crisis of the end of the first third of the 3rd century BC.
K e y w o r d s: Central Europe, Late Hallstatt, НаD, nomads, campaign, arrowheads, fibulae
Keywords: Sula basin, Scythian time, hillforts, settlement structure.
Key words: International project, Archaeology, Field school, Bilsk archaeological complex.
Keywords: Early Iron Age, Dnieper Left Bank Forest-Steppe, Bilsk hillfort,
burial, jug
Key words: Dnipro Left Bank forest-steppe, Scythian time, reconnaissance, settlements, cinder heaps, mounds.
animal bones were found in trenches and in the filling of burials. These findings can
be associated with the functioning of the settlement. Burial was carried out in the
pits, undercut graves and one catacomb. Most of the skeletons of the flat necropolis were oriented to the West, but one burial – to the Southeast with deviations. Some household pits cut burials, which indicates that life has revived in this area after the functioning of the flat necropolis.
Key words: Dnipro Left Bank forest-steppe, Bilsk hillfort, settlement, burial ground, flat necropolis, Scythian time.
Project Coordinators: Grechko Denys
E-mail: ukrspadshina@ukr.net
Korost Igor
E-mail: Bilsk_gelon@ukr.net
The base of the field school will be a territory of the IKZ "Bilsk"
Dates July 17 - August 4, 2018.
IV International Summer Field Archaeological School
More information from the coordinators of the event.
Applications for participation in the field school are accepted until July 1, 2018.
The topic of the conference is focused on the balance between the traditional archaeological research strategy through the destruction and the prospect of preserving archaeological sources, in particular, through the usage of non-invasive methods. The event aims to promote the communication between young scientists in the field, exchange of scientific experiences of different generations of archaeologists.
Planned excavations of mounds of Scythian time and a series of practical and theoretical events.
The Summer field archaeology school will work on the basis of the communal institution «Historical-cultural reservation «Bilsk» of the Poltava regional council in the village Bilsk (Kotelivskyj distr., Poltava reg., Ukraine) from the 17th of July – 05 August 2016.
The work program of Summer field archaeology school includes field archaeological investigations and theoretical block of lectures, devoted to the different problems of history and archaeology of the Early Iron Age of Europe, questions of anthropology, actual questions of historical monuments protection, bounder with an arrangement of registration documentation for the objects of cultural heritage.
Great attention will be dedicated to the use of GIS-technologies of the modern level of archaeology sciences.
It is planned to carry out archeological excavations of the settlements and large-scale exploration in the territory of the Bilsk hill-fort.
проблемі балансу між застосуванням традиційних для
археології методик та впровадженням неінвазивних методів досліджень. доповіді охоплюють хронологічний
відрізок від палеоліту до модерної доби, розкривають
теоретичні й практичні аспекти теми на матеріалах археологічних пам’яток України і суміжних територій.
для студентів, викладачів ВНЗ гуманітарного профілю, науковців та усіх, хто цікавиться давньою історією
України і суміжних територій.
Збірник є матеріалами конференції, організованої й про-
веденої Радою молодих вчених Інституту археології НАН
України. до нього увійшли статті, що фактично охоплюють
всі археологічні періоди, а також сучасні напрями й підхо-
ди з залученням методів природничих наук. У статтях пе-
реважно підняті актуальні питання археології України, а
також визначені перспективні напрями досліджень.
для студентів та викладачів ВУЗів гуманітарного
профілю, а також усіх тих, хто цікавиться стародавньою
історією України.
Eastern Hallstatt culture, in particular, Kalendenberg group, can be considered as a substrate for the northwestern VC group. Ceramics, decorations and funerary rites of the oldest complexes of the Chotin necropolis, may not indicate that the VC and Eastern Hallstatt culture in this region existed side by side without any visible contacts. Instead, necropolis could be attributed to the Kalendenberg group of the HaD1 period, similar to Modrany. I agree with S. Stegmann-Rajtár that the appearance of the VC occurred after the Eastern Hallstatt culture disintegration at the end of the HaD1 period.
The oldest materials from the reliable VC burials belong to the post-invasion horizon (540/530 – 520 ВС, HaD2). I argue that it would be reasonable to return to the dating of the beginning of the VC to not earlier than the HaD1/HaD2 boundary and to associate its emergence with the consequences of the "Scythian invasion" into Central Europe. Complexes of the HaD1 period, which the researchers attributed as oldest VC, should be considered as belonging to the VC cultural substrate, which was different for each of the groups.
Burial pits were oriented meridionally, some with deviations. On the bottom of the burial of mound 15 the traces of timbers (at the bottom of the funeral platform) were found. The child burial was found in the barrow 17. Attention is attracted to the burial of a heavily armed warrior in the barrow 24. Among the grave goods, in addition
to weapons and ammunition, a jug of Chersonesos production was found. The burial in the barrow 28 was carried out in a wooden chamber.
The burials could be preliminary dated to the 4th century BC.
Great Bilsk hillfort excavation. Studies have shown that it was built in the Scythian
period, after the middle of V century BC.
New Early Scythian materials in the funds of the HCR «Bilsk»
The article presents the preliminary results of the analysis of two finds from the territory of Bilsk archaeological complex – a fragment of an iron sword and a horn head of the bow, which was made in animal style. Finds belong to the Early Scythian time.