Burials of the Tagar and Tesin Cultures in Kurgan 1 of the Skalnaya-4 Kurgan Burial Ground

Abstract

The preliminary results of rescue excavations of the kurgan 1 at the Skalnaya-4 kurgan burial ground in the Khakass-Minusinsk basin (Askizskiy district, Republic of Khakassia) is published. The kurgan is located on the western slope of the Uytag Mountain and is a part of a larger kurgan field of the Tagar culture. The kurgan and the surrounding area as expressed in relief are described in our archaeological excavation report. Data on the design of the burial construction as well as on the number and composition of the graves are presented. The kurgan belongs to the Podgornovo stage of the Tagar culture. Inside the “four-stone” fence, two graves were built, one in the center and more recent one to the north. Each grave with one disturbed skeleton inside had a stone cover. The graves also contained ceramic vessels and funeral food. During the Tesinskaya stage two intrusive burials were made in the kurgan area. One of them, with two graves, both in stone vaults with a sandstone slab ceilings, were constructed near the south-eastern corner stele. The burial goods include ceramic vessels, an iron knife, stone and paste beads and a sharpening stone in a case with a bronze pommel. The second grave (about 1 m deep narrow pit) was dug near the eastern wall of the fence. Scattered bones of an incomplete human skeleton were interred in it and a skull without a lower jaw was placed in a separate niche. In addition to the burial structures, several pits and stones dating back to the period of the kurgan construction were discovered in the surrounding territory. The obtained materials noticeably compliment already abundant sources to study the agenda of the South Minusinsk Basin history in the 7th Century BC - 3rd Century AD.

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