Late Scythians

Статья посвящена анализу бус из позднескифского некрополя Красный Маяк на Нижнем Днепре, исследованном Позднескифской археологической экспедицией ИА НАН Украины в 2011-2013 гг. при участии автора. Рассматривается возможность использования бус в качестве хроноиндикатора.

The excavations carried out lately at Yassıhöyük/Gordion, Boğazköy/Büyükkaya, Kaman-Kalehöyük, Çadırhöyük, Porsuk and Liman Tepe and also the survey at Hydas and Hisarlık Tepesi/Troya VIIb2 and Tel-el Cüdeyde excavations of which findings were evaluated later, reveals clearly that the Hittite Empire vanished approx. in 1190 BC and it was the end of the Late Bronze Age and beginning of the Dark Age, that is the Early Iron Age (1190-850 BC). These settlements located in North-West, West, Central and Southern regions of Anatolia determine how the movements of people who were called Thracean-Phrygian migrations and the Sea People moved towards Anatolia, and brought to an end of the Late Bronze Age. Not fixing any center belonging to the Early Iron Age on the Black Sea coasts indicates that these movements of people were not by means of Northern Anatolia, that is the Black Sea.

Architecture of the Iron Age in the Central Black Sea Region shows different pecularities compared to the Land and Coastal zones. By the help of present data we have, the earliest samples of the Iron Age pottery in the Black Sea Region can be dated to the end of the Early Iron Age. During the Middle Iron Age important settlements in the Kızılırmak/Halys Bend are Boğazköy, Alaca Höyük, Hacı Bektaş Höyük (Suluca Karahöyük), KamanKalehöyük, Eskiyapar, Oluz Höyük, Alişar Höyük, Çadır Höyük and also in the south of the Kızılırmak/Halys, Kültepe, Sultanhanı, Yassıdağ, Topaklı and Porsuk.

The pottery possessed in these settlements, known as Alişar IV, are the painted potteries having composition of figures of deer styled in silhouette technique and a concentric circle motif and sometimes with geometrical motifs. It is observed that the styles of ceramics workshops in the Kızılırmak/Halys Bend and its south that had been producing monotonously since the Middle Iron Age had some changes since the Late Iron Age, especially due to their decorations. Instead of figures of deer in silhoutte, figures with a more natural view, using linear and reserve technique appeared. The figures of bird were more abundant in number and in view, and also figures of bull, donkey, roe, goat, lion, dog, fish and insect were used as the main elements in the compositions. Apart from this, various creatures such as bull with wings and sphinx, and also strange, unusual creatures that can not be identified appeared. The figures of human in a styled form which were few in the Middle Iron Age, started to be the most important thing in the Late Iron Age. Mother Goddess/Kubaba of Phrygians, who had been worshipped since the Neolithic Period, was depicted on the pottery during this period. We observe that the pottery workshops in the Kızılırmak/Halys Bend and also the ones in the south were influenced by the innovations and also the political events that occurred in the Late Iron Age and showed this on their productions. For instance, figures of horse and cavalrymen that appeared suddenly were most probably due to the Eurasian Horse-Riding Nomads. Besides, it is apparent that the figures of sphinx with crown and beard, depicted on the pottery had an influence of Western Iran that is Median-Achaemenid. Apart from the motifs and figures in the Late Iron Age, there were some notable changes in the paint decoration technique. The traditional colors of dark red, brown and black continued to be used in decoration; however, as an innovation, figures and compositions were started to be drawn in the frames with white and beige base. This frame technique was applied, after sometime, without using the white base. We acknowledge that the pottery workshops continued their productions in the Kızılırmak/Halys Bend, not only by keeping their traditional characteristics, but also reflecting the external influences during the period that is from the beginning of 5th Century BC to the middle of 4th Century BC, Hellenistic Period that is the Last Phase of the Late Iron Age.

As a result of archaeological survey carried out up to present, no settlement or camp site belonging to the Eurasian Horse-Riding Nomads in Anatolia, that is the Scythians and Cimmerians were determined. Besides, in the light of present data, it is under debate where the Scythians spread and in which regions they were. It is assumed that some tribes of Eurasian Horse-Riding Nomads who moved in to Anatolia through the Caucasia and destroyed Yassıhöyük/Gordion utterly in the end of the Middle Iron Age, then from Paphlagonia to the Central Black Sea Region and from there to the Eastern Black Sea Region.

Another culture that was effective in the Central Black Sea Region, was Achaemenids. Among the satrapies that were established in Anatolia by Achaemenids, we acknowledge that three satrapies comprise the Black Sea Region of today. The first satrapy to mention is Daskyleion that comprises NorthWest Anatolia, together with Paphlagonia and Mariandyns, land means western part of the Black Sea Region. The second satrapy named Katpatuka (Cappadocia) was ruling today’s Central Anatolia and probably the Central Black Sea Region. The third satrapy in the Eastern Black Sea Region was ruling the lands of Mushki, Tibarens, Macrons, Mossyniks, Marelis; the land between today’s Ordu and Trabzon provinces. The second satrapy named Katpatuka (Cappadocia) comprised the today’s Central Anatolia and the Central Black Sea Region; that is the central part of the coasts of northern Anatolia. As we acknowledge, apart from Phrygia, Paphlagonia and Kilikia were the tax regions (nomos) of Achaemenid King Darius the Great, Cappadocians are mentioned as ‘Syrian’, however Pontus is never mentioned, thus, this northern area was included in Cappadocia in 6th century BC. Cappadocia Satrapy most probably comprised the region of Anatolia from the Taurus Mountains reaching at the Black Sea. Cappadocia Satrapy was divided into two parts. The southern part was named as Major Cappadocia and the northern part as Minor Cappadocia or Pontic Cappadocia. We acknowledge that Gashka people who live seminomadic in the Cental Black Sea Region during the Iron Age, did not settle in permanently and also did not let any alien settle in the region. We observe that despite their powerful dominance, some settlements that appeared to be seen on the terrestrial of the Central Black Sea Region during the end of Early Iron Age and also acquired a character with its ceramics with painted decoration of Central Anatolia Iron Age, were dwelled in by the people whose place of origin was the Central Anatolia. We acknowledge that this policy of dwelling was effective completely in the Land and Coastal regions by degrees. In the light of all these evaluations, we can utter that the culture of the Central Black Sea Region during the Iron Age had the local pecularities of Central Anatolian Culture and was an extension to the north.

В статье рассматриваются фигурные изделия из египетского фаянса (плакетки и подвески), найденные на позднескифских памятниках Нижнего Днепра. Дается их количественная и типологическая характеристика, сравнение с подобными находками в сарматской среде и у поздних скифов Крыма. Рассмотрены особенности проникновения и бытования этой категории украшений в сарматской и позднескифской культурах.

The new data that have become available in the last two decades show that the Scythian Kingdom with its capital in Neapolis Scythica, which existed in the Crimea in the 2nd century BC, was much closer to Hellenistic states ruled by barbarian dynasties than to nomadic kingdom of the Scythians of the 4th century BC. At the same time, these data allow us to return in part to the old view formulated by Rostovtzeff about continuity between the Scythia of the 4th century BC and the Late Scythian Kingdom, which most researchers have rejected during the last thirty years. It turned out that this continuity existed at least at the ideological level, and the excavations at Ak-Kaya (Vishennoe) filled the chronological gap between the Scythian Kingdoms of the 4th and 2nd century BC. Apparently, Ak-Kaya became one of the political centres of the Scythians as early as the late 4th century BC, before the fall of "Great Scythia", and the capital of the Crimean Scythians was located there before it was moved to Neapolis Scythica. In the formation of Late Scythian culture and the Late Scythian Kingdom with its capital first in Ak-Kaya and then in Neapolis Scythica, apart from the Scythian elements, sedentary Tauri took part, as well as probably the Greeks and the Hellenized population of the chorai of the Greek cities in northwestern Crimea. A key role in changing the character of Scythian culture was apparently played by a change in its economic-cultural type and the transition from nomadic pastoralism to

Анализ данных, ставших доступными в последние два десятилетия, позволяет заключить, что Скифское царство со столицей в Неаполе Скифском, существовавшее в Крыму во II в. До н. э., гораздо больше напоминало эллинистические государства с варварской династией во главе, чем кочевническое царство скифов IV в. до н. э. При этом новые данные заставляют отчасти вернуться к старому, ростовцевскому, представлению о преемственности между Скифией IV в. до н. э. и позднескифским царством, от которого большинство исследователей отказалось в последние тридцать лет. Выяснилось, что преемственность существовала по меньшей мере на идеологическом уровне, а раскопки в Ак-Кае (Вишенное) заполнили хронологическую лакуну между Скифскими царствами IV и II вв. до н. э. По-видимому, Ак-Кая стала одним из политических центров скифов еще в конце IV в. до н. э., до гибели «Великой Скифии», и столица крымских скифов находилась здесь до своего перемещения в Неаполь. В сложении Позднескифской культуры и позднескифского царства со столицей сначала в Ак-Кае, а затем в Неаполе, помимо скифских элементов, приняли участие оседлые тавры, а также, вероятно, и греки и давно эллинизированное население хоры греческих городов Северо-Западного Крыма. В изменении облика скифской культуры ключевую роль, видимо, сыграло изменение хозяйственного-культурного типа и переход от кочевого скотоводства к оседлому земледелию. В статье предлагается новая интерпретация надписи на мавзолее Аргота, обнаруженной в Неаполе в 1999 г. Аргот был, по-видимому, не скифом, а греком, несмотря на свое скифское имя. Этот боспорский аристократ со скифскими семейными связями во второй четверти II в. до н. э. женился на овдовевшей боспорской царице Камасарии и упоминается в качестве ее мужа в надписи КБН 75. Он занимал важное место в управлении Боспорским царством и его защите от нападений с востока. Затем, скорее всего, после смерти Камасарии, он переселился в соседнее царство скифов, где стал одним из ведущих полководцев, правой рукой царя и воспитателем его детей. После смерти (ок. 130–125 г. до н. э.) он получил от царя Скилура невиданные почести: для него был возведен героон перед фасадом царского дворца, причем этом было единственное в Неаполе по-настоящему греческое здание, построенное с соблюдением правил ордерной архитектуры и украшенное греческими статуями и рельефами, а также метрической эпитафией с многочисленными гомеризмами.

В статье публикуются данные о первых раскопках городища Джан-Баба в Северо-Западном Крыму. Описываются и анализируются строительные остатки и артефакты, полученные при исследовании слоев раннеримского времени (второй половины І — начала ІІ вв. н. э.).
К л ю ч е в ы е с л о в а: хора Херсонеса, позднескифские городища, Северо-Западный Крым, эллинизм, раннеримское время.

The investigations in the fortified settlement Dzhan-Ba ba in the  Northernwest
Crimea
The expedition of the Institute of archaeology of NASU in 2013 has started excavations in the fortified settlement Dzhan-Baba near the village Mar’ino of Chernomorskiy region of ARK. The excavation sector was started in the Southern-West part of the fortification.
Its space is 50 m2.
There is a heap of rocks was cleaned under the turf and two layers of loam. The three layers wall with the shape of fir-tree was there. Under the heap of rocks the stratum with numerous finds was found. It located on the clay floor and was covered by the adobe heap. The numerous intact vessels eight hand-made cups, lamp, pot, sinopean amphora of the type Sin II) evidence that this fortification was hastily abandoned and its structures were burned in the beginning of the 2 century AD. The clay floor had covered the loam stratum with inclusions of ash and pieces of adobe bricks. There are two infant burials were fixed there. They were made in Kolhidian and red-clay Bosporus or Chersonessos?) amphorae. These amphorae were covered by the bottom of hand-made vessel and by the bottom of the amphora of the type Sin Iva accordingly. There is a part of the wall was found in this excavation sector. This wall is three layered. Some stones were irregular.
The finds of secondary used worked rock and fragment of black-glazed vessel allow us to suppose that this fortification has appeared as Chersoneses farm in early-Hellenistic period. The excavated strata belong to the early- Roman period and could be dated by the last quarter of the 1 — first half of the 2 centuries AD.
K e y w o r d s: Chersoneses chora, late-Scythian fortified settlements, Northern-West Crimea, Hellenistic period, early-Roman period.

The life to Earth came from the Universe: the part is alive due to the Entire, this world is alive thanks to the Whole. The first tribe of our Earth w ere Scythians, people from the Moon; their selenic language was the root to earthly languages — the heart of human language. // Жизнь на Землю пришла из Вселенной: часть Целым жива, мир сей — Всем. Племя первое нашей Земли — Скифы, люди с Луны; их язык, корневой земным — лунная молвь, сердце речи людской.

Appendix 5 in the publication of the Necropolis:
Gushchina, Irina I., Zhuravlev, Denis V. Necropolis of the Roman Time Belbek IV in the South-East Crimea (Nekropol' rimskogo vremeni Bel'bek IV v Iugo-Zapadnom Krymu). Vol. 1. Moscow: State Historical Museum, 2016, 272 pp. 

Appendix 5 summary:
The costume details of mainly dead women in the Late Scythian (with many namadic Sarmatian elements) Belbek IV necropolis in the SW Crimea (the late 1st-early 3rd cc. CE) was analyzed (Fig. 260, 1). They are, first of all, 8 variants of fibulae usage in the costume (Ns. 1-8) (for a half of dead; variants 2, 3, 8 used rare also for men) and the female dress or belt decoration by the rows of beads (Ns. 9-16). There are two groups of synchronous dead in the necropolis (oriented by the head to the north or to the south). For both groups we know 3 lines of beads acrross the chest (No 9) and the hem lenght below the ankles (No 15). For women oriented to south are typical the several beads' rows in the hem (Ns. 14-15), the rare short hemline (No 16) and usually one bracelet made of beads at the wrist. The women oriented to the north used the beads for sleeves (Ns. 10-11), the belts decorated by beads (No 12), their dress hems were often to the ankles (No 13 - the most popular variant in Sarmatia); they sometimes used two bead bracelets (or one metallic and one bead) and they often were highly at the elbow or higher.

The planigraphy’ analysis of big Ust’-Al’ma necropolis for the periods 1st – mid. 2nd cc. and the mid. 2nd -  mid. 3rd cc. (ca. 1100 individual and collective graves excavated from 1964 to 2015) in the western coast of Crimea devoted to the distribution of tamga-signs, the golden costume applications and the offensive weapons in its various parts and for two periods. Tamgas were absent in the elite crypts and presented only in 4,1% of graves (there were usually the Sarmatian wives from neigbouring communities) on the specific “wedding mirrors” and on the Roman clay dishes. The dishes with two tamgas of the relative clans used the purification rituals are of particular interest. In the 1st - mid. 2nd cc. complexes used the golden costume applications of 24 types; almost all of them have analogues in the more eastern Sarmatian tribes. The weapons are usually represented by one symbolic object (for early period it was often the sword, for late period - the spear or axe). According to various data, three accumulations of graves were identified (in the north, SW and east). They reflect the triple division of the community in Iranian tradition and identify the graves of the important members of such groups.
    KEY WORDS: necropolis planigraphy, Late Scythians of Crimea, 1st - mid. 3rd cc. CE, Ust’-Al’ma, tamga-signs, golden costume applications and weapons, three main accumulations of graves.
    LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS:
Fig. 1. Ust’-Al’ma Hillfort (Al’ma-Tamak) in the north and Ust’-Al’ma Necropolis in the south (based on T.N. Smekalova, 2017).
Fig. 2. General Plan of Ust’-Al’ma Necropolis (after A.E. Puzdrovsky and A.A. Trufanov, vols. 1-3), with the series of elite, not robbed graves: a – elite crypts – catacombs; b – “Crypt of Priestesses”.
Fig. 3. Plans of the 2000-2014 field compaings in Ust’-Al’ma necropolis (after A.E. Puzdrovsky and A.A. Trufanov, vols. 1-3).
Fig. 4. Destribution of tamga-signs of the 1st — mid. 3rd cc. CE (after the excavations before 2015): c - crypt; я – pit; п – alcove grave; a – mirrors-pendants; b - pottery; c – zones of tamgas concentration; d – other types of artifacts; e – tamgas of the mid. 2nd – mid. 3rd cc.
Fig. 5. Destribution of the main types of golden costume applications of the 1st — mid. 2nd cc. CE
(after the excavations before 2015): c - crypt; я – pit; a – zones of concentration. 
Fig. 6. Destribution of the main types of weapons and some their details in the 1st — mid. 3rd cc. CE
(after the excavations before 2015): c - crypt; я – pit; п – alcove grave; a – swords and daggers; b – spears; z  - fragments of hauberk; K - bows and quivers; b – 2 arrows-amulets; c - set of arrows; d – graves of the mid. 2nd – mid. 3rd cc.; e - axe; f – zones of concentration.

Статтю присвячено аналізу намиста з пізньоскіфського некрополя Червоний Маяк на Нижньому Дніпрі, який досліджувався Пізньоскіфською археологічною експедицією ІА НАН України у 2011-2013 рр. за участю автора. Розглянуто можливість використання намиста як хроноіндикатора.

В статье представлен обзор фибул из могильника Опушки, расположенного в центральной части крымских предгорий. Некрополь использовался с I в. до н.э. до IV в. н.э. носителями различных археологических культур. Из раскопанных 318 комплексов фибулы зафиксированы в 72 могилах. Всего обнаружено 190 целых и фрагментированных экземпляра. Наиболее массовую группу составляют одночленные лучковые подвязные фибулы и застежки с пластинчатым приемником I-первой половины III в. н.э. Выделяется серия фибул римского производства, среди которых самые многочисленные-фибулы-броши. Малочисленны смычковые застежки и сильно профилированные фибулы северопричерноморского типа, а также двучленные лучковые подвязные застежки и прогнутые подвязные фибулы, в большом количестве представленные на других памятниках предгорного Крыма римского времени. Фибулы встречены во всех типах погребальных сооружений, однако большая их часть сосредоточена в позднескифских склепах I в. до н.э.-II в. н.э. Они сопровождали женские, мужские и детские погребения. В подавляющем большинстве случаев одно захоронение сопровождалось одной фибулой, редко-двумя, лишь в одном детском погребении зафиксировано три застежки. Чаще всего фибулы располагались в районе грудной клетки погребенных, в единичных случаях-на плече, в районе шейных позвонков, тазовых костей и за пределами костяка. Примечательно, что большое число фибул обнаружено в захоронениях детей разного возраста-от года до 8-12 лет. По всей видимости, фибулы в детском костюме использовались на протяжении всей жизни ребенка, начиная с младенчества. В целом, типы фибул из Опушкинского могильника, их распределение в комплексах и расположение на костяках вписываются в общую картину, характерную для варварских некрополей крымских предгорий римского времени.

The article is devoted to the settlement "4th sector SOR", located in the lower part of the Belbek river valley, on the slope of Maslyanaya mountain. The object was detected by Oleg Savelya in 1964. Recent studies have clarified the topography and chronology of the settlement. The first stage of the site is illustrated by the grain pit, which contained handmade pottery dated to the IVth century BC. This settlement is related to the Kizil-Koba culture. In the 2nd and the first half of the 3rd century AD the settlement associated with late Scythian culture situated there; an assemblage of the 2nd century AD has been investigated.

Опубликовано в журнале "Учёные записки крымского федерального университета им. В.И. Вернадского". Серия "Исторические науки". Том 4 (70). №3. Симферополь, 2018. С. 3-15.

Рассмотрена проблема археологической периодизации одного из наиболее полно изученных регионов крымской Поздней Скифии. В работе разбираются датировки строительных периодов восьми позднескифских поселений, исследованных раскопками. Они синхронизированы между собой, а также сопоставлены с историческими периодами. Первые позднескифские строительные остатки большинства поселений можно датировать только широко: второй половиной II в. до н. э. – 63 г. до н. э. Надежно, хоть и не во всех случаях, выделяется период от смерти Митридата VI до военной акции Аспурга. Следующий исторический период – до похода Плавтия Сильвана – чётко зафиксирован в стратиграфии двух поселений. Строительные остатки финального периода выделены на трёх памятниках. Полученная схема может быть использована для выявления общих тенденций в застройке поселений региона.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 2021. The Scytho-Sarmatian Mythology and the Slavonic Folklore. Paper. 5 pages.

The original was first delivered by Sergei V. Rjabchikov as the paper “The Scytho-Sarmatian Mythology and the Slavonic Folklore” on the scientific session of the Sergei Rjabchikov Foundation – Research Centre for Studies of Ancient Civilisations and Cultures in Krasnodar on February 9, 2021.

Статья посвящена синхронизации и датировке финальных комплексов восьми позднескифских поселений, расположенных в Северо-Западном Крыму и исследованных раскопками. Массовый материал позволяет разделить их по времени гибели на две группы. Первая прекращает существование в первой четверти I в. н.э., скорее всего, между 16 и 23 гг. (Кульчук, Чайка, Керкинитида). Жизнь второй группы поселений заканчивается в конце I – начале II вв. н.э. (Калос Лимен, Тарпанчи, Беляус, Южно-Донузлавское, Кара-Тобе).

В статье публикуется и анализируется латенская фибула, обнаруженная у с. Токмазея Григориопольского района на левобережье Нижнего Днестра. Её ближайшие аналогии происходят из скифского могильника III-II  вв. до н.э. у с. Глиное Слободзейского района, при этом само изделие датируется первой четвертью II в. до н.э. Этот артефакт наглядно демонстрирует влияние латенских и «латенизированных» культур Восточной Европы на материальную культуру скифов Нижнего Поднестровья III-II вв. до н.э.
The article is published and analysed La Tène fi bula, found near Tokmazeya village, Grigoriopol district, on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. Its nearest analogy were found in the Scythian cemetery of the III rd –II nd centuries BC near Glinoe, Slobodzeya district, while the item itself dates back to the fi rst quarter of the IInd century BC. This artefact demonstrates the infl uence of La Tène cultures of Eastern European on the material culture of the Scythians of the Lower Dniester Region in III rd –II nd centuries BC.