Folia archeologica 53.

István Vida: Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Hungary, Budapest, Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, Vol. III. Moesia Inferior, Supplement 1, Nicopolis ad Istrum

FOLIA ARCHAEOLOC.ICA I.III. 2007. BUDAPEST EXCAVATIONS OF A „ROYAL" BARROW-GRAVE IN FHE SOUTHERN URAL L.T. YABLONSKY In the summer of 2006 the Ural Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences excavated barrow 4 in the Filippovka cemetery situated at the watershed of Ural and Ilek rivers (Fig. 1). This cemetery became world famous for its outstanding finds unearthed during the excavations by A.H. Pshenichniuk.

1 The cemetery includes 28 barrows dated to the Early Sarmatian Age (in our opinion: second half of the 5th - 4th cent. B.C.). Two largest barrows (NN 1 and 4) were erected in the centre of the site. Their diameters reached 100-120 m and the utmost height was about 8 m. According to the tradition, barrows of such size are called „royal" ones. Excavation of barrow 1 started in the late 1980s

2 brought to light a large collection of unique finds made of precious metals, including series of the famous „golden deers".

3 Central burial of this barrow proved to be completely plundered soon after the burial, and most of the finds came out of „tainiks" (secret niches) found in the walls of the grave-pit. In the spring of 2005 there an attempt was made to loot barrow 4 with an excavating machine. Robbers dug out two 5 m wide and more than 7 m deep trenches which made an angle in the centre of the barrow. In widening part of the trenches they made a basin of irregular, almost rectangular shape. In 2005 the Ural Expedition filled the trenches and the basin. However, the further demolition of the barrow - both by natural and human factors - seemed to be unavoidable. The situation was even more complicated, because it was necessary to conduct a long series of earth works in order to move the huge mound of the barrow. The project was made under the auspices of A.A. Chernyshev, the governor of Orenburg region and financed by Russian Scientific Fund for Humanities (RGNF) and by the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Before excavating the mound, a 30 m wide space around the barrow was cleaned until the surface of the subsoil. As a result, north of the barrow a more than 3 in deep crateriform water-collecting pit was found. At the southern part of the mound, on the ancient surface several concentrations of horse bones were found, including almost complete skeletons and horse skulls (9 pieces) that lied in line directed to the south with the back of the neck. Under the mound, a wooden construction of the covering of the burial chamber was traced. It was built out of logs laid radially in 7-10 layers. The construction had been set on fire and could be recorded in a strongly burned condition. In the south-western section of the barrow, in the lower layers of the mound a sacrificial assemblage was unearthed: a big predator's skin (bones of the four paws and massive nails). On the skin there was a skeleton of a large predatory bird with naily feet, perhaps that of a falcon, and a number of horse harness details made of bronze and bone (different kinds of plates, decorations, strap fixing rings, hal• PSHENICHNIUK 1989, 1995, 1997, 1999 '-' PSHENICHNIUK 1989, 1995, 1999 3 THE GOLDEN DEERS..., 2000).