Sacrificial burial confirms Scythians' eastern origins
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of sacrificial funerary rituals at the Early Iron Age burial mound of Tunnug 1 in Tuva, Siberia, suggesting that the horse-riding Scythian culture, typically associated with Eastern Europe, originated much farther east. The Scythians, a people of the Eurasian Steppe, were renowned for their horse-based culture and distinct "animal-style" art, which features stylized animals in specific poses.
Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the Scythians' range shifted significantly over time. They are known to have migrated from Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in modern-day southwestern Russia and Ukraine, but their precise origins have remained unclear.
“The horseback-riding Scythians have fascinated people since Herodotus wrote about them,” says Dr. Gino Caspari, lead researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern. “However, the roots of their culture have long been hidden in the remote areas of the Eurasian steppes.”
To uncover the Scythians' origins, an international team of researchers studied Tunnug 1, one of the earliest royal burial mounds linked to Scythian material culture, dating to the late ninth century BC. Their findings, published in Antiquity, reveal the fragmented remains of at least one human and 18 horses, suggesting these animals were sacrificed to honor the elite individual interred there.
The remains were found alongside Scythian animal-style artifacts and horse-riding equipment, pointing to an early example of horse-centric funerary rituals, which are described in ancient texts from thousands of kilometers to the west.
"After years of challenging fieldwork in Siberia, it’s incredible to finally handle some of the oldest Scythian animal-style items," Dr. Caspari said. "Uncovering early evidence of this unique cultural phenomenon is both a privilege and a dream come true."
The discovery of Scythian-style burials in Tuva suggests that the culture's origins, long shrouded in mystery, may lie in the eastern stretches of the Eurasian steppe, highlighting the mobility of early horse-riding cultures.
Moreover, the burial shares striking similarities with Late Bronze Age examples from Mongolia, hinting that elements of Scythian funerary practices may have originated even further east and south, within the horse cultures of Bronze Age Mongolia.
“The findings from Tunnug 1 emphasize the key role Tuva plays in Eurasian prehistory,” concludes Dr. Caspari. “Our research underscores the significance of Inner Asia in shaping transcontinental cultural links, and suggests that these burial practices contributed to the broader cultural and political transformations that led to the rise of later pastoralist empires across Eurasia.”Archaeologists have discovered evidence of sacrificial funerary rituals at the Early Iron Age burial mound of Tunnug 1 in Tuva, Siberia, suggesting that the horse-riding Scythian culture, typically associated with Eastern Europe, originated much farther east. The Scythians, a people of the Eurasian Steppe, were renowned for their horse-based culture and distinct "animal-style" art, which features stylized animals in specific poses.
Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the Scythians' range shifted significantly over time. They are known to have migrated from Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in modern-day southwestern Russia and Ukraine, but their precise origins have remained unclear.
“The horseback-riding Scythians have fascinated people since Herodotus wrote about them,” says Dr. Gino Caspari, lead researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern. “However, the roots of their culture have long been hidden in the remote areas of the Eurasian steppes.”
To uncover the Scythians' origins, an international team of researchers studied Tunnug 1, one of the earliest royal burial mounds linked to Scythian material culture, dating to the late ninth century BC. Their findings, published in Antiquity, reveal the fragmented remains of at least one human and 18 horses, suggesting these animals were sacrificed to honor the elite individual interred there.
The remains were found alongside Scythian animal-style artifacts and horse-riding equipment, pointing to an early example of horse-centric funerary rituals, which are described in ancient texts from thousands of kilometers to the west.
"After years of challenging fieldwork in Siberia, it’s incredible to finally handle some of the oldest Scythian animal-style items," Dr. Caspari said. "Uncovering early evidence of this unique cultural phenomenon is both a privilege and a dream come true."
The discovery of Scythian-style burials in Tuva suggests that the culture's origins, long shrouded in mystery, may lie in the eastern stretches of the Eurasian steppe, highlighting the mobility of early horse-riding cultures.
Moreover, the burial shares striking similarities with Late Bronze Age examples from Mongolia, hinting that elements of Scythian funerary practices may have originated even further east and south, within the horse cultures of Bronze Age Mongolia.
“The findings from Tunnug 1 emphasize the key role Tuva plays in Eurasian prehistory,” concludes Dr. Caspari. “Our research underscores the significance of Inner Asia in shaping transcontinental cultural links, and suggests that these burial practices contributed to the broader cultural and political transformations that led to the rise of later pastoralist empires across Eurasia.”Archaeologists have discovered evidence of sacrificial funerary rituals at the Early Iron Age burial mound of Tunnug 1 in Tuva, Siberia, suggesting that the horse-riding Scythian culture, typically associated with Eastern Europe, originated much farther east. The Scythians, a people of the Eurasian Steppe, were renowned for their horse-based culture and distinct "animal-style" art, which features stylized animals in specific poses.
Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the Scythians' range shifted significantly over time. They are known to have migrated from Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in modern-day southwestern Russia and Ukraine, but their precise origins have remained unclear.
“The horseback-riding Scythians have fascinated people since Herodotus wrote about them,” says Dr. Gino Caspari, lead researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern. “However, the roots of their culture have long been hidden in the remote areas of the Eurasian steppes.”
To uncover the Scythians' origins, an international team of researchers studied Tunnug 1, one of the earliest royal burial mounds linked to Scythian material culture, dating to the late ninth century BC. Their findings, published in Antiquity, reveal the fragmented remains of at least one human and 18 horses, suggesting these animals were sacrificed to honor the elite individual interred there.
The remains were found alongside Scythian animal-style artifacts and horse-riding equipment, pointing to an early example of horse-centric funerary rituals, which are described in ancient texts from thousands of kilometers to the west.
"After years of challenging fieldwork in Siberia, it’s incredible to finally handle some of the oldest Scythian animal-style items," Dr. Caspari said. "Uncovering early evidence of this unique cultural phenomenon is both a privilege and a dream come true."
The discovery of Scythian-style burials in Tuva suggests that the culture's origins, long shrouded in mystery, may lie in the eastern stretches of the Eurasian steppe, highlighting the mobility of early horse-riding cultures.
Moreover, the burial shares striking similarities with Late Bronze Age examples from Mongolia, hinting that elements of Scythian funerary practices may have originated even further east and south, within the horse cultures of Bronze Age Mongolia.
“The findings from Tunnug 1 emphasize the key role Tuva plays in Eurasian prehistory,” concludes Dr. Caspari. “Our research underscores the significance of Inner Asia in shaping transcontinental cultural links, and suggests that these burial practices contributed to the broader cultural and political transformations that led to the rise of later pastoralist empires across Eurasia.”
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