Folia archeologica 53.

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

EXCAVATIONS OF A „R

OY

AL

" BARROW-GRAVE IN THE SOUTHERN UR.\

I. H7 4

1'

1 century B.C. However, the typological situation of the site is still not clear. Pshenichniuk tended to classify it as one belonging to the Early Sarmatian (Prokhorovka) Culture. This is testified by a number of finds that continued to exist also among the relics of the classical Prokhorovka Culture. On the first hand, these are pieces of weaponry (arrowheads, swords of the so called „transition" type) and details of horse-harness, including iron bits and cheek-pieces, bronze cheekpieces with analogies from Kuban Region sites of the 4

t

h cent. B.C. At the same time, the Filippovka barrows produced a large and varied series of objects made in the so called „animal style". This style looks so archaic that some researchers mentioned even the 6th century B.C. as the time of probable origin, thus not excluding, that from typological point of view the site belongs to the Sauromatian (preSarmatian) Age.

1

1 The question was made even more dif ficult by the fact that a significant number of such finds came from the tainiks (hiding niches) of barrow 1. Valuable objects were put into them without any system, and these finds can be compared with hoards of precious objects, where artefacts of dif ferent chronological classification co-existed. The main scientific significance of the material of barrow 4 can be summarised as follows: precious finds, from one hand, have analogies in other barrows of the cemetery, among them in barrow 1, and from the other hand, they come from „closed" archaeological assemblages undisturbed by the plunderers of burial chambers. The objects were found in situ, finds were lying in a strict archaeological context. Together with the silver vessel, arrowheads and swords were found, the dating of which is quite well elaborated in Sarmatian archaeology. The same can be said about golden bracelets and torqueses, the unique „double" vessel with handles in the shape of ram-heads. All these, together with the materials from other barrows will give an opportunity for a more accurate chronology of each object and the complete site. All the data attests to the idea that, from the point of view of periodisation of different phases in the development of Sarmatian culture, the Filippovka cemetery is a transition site between the Sauromation Age to the Sarmatian Age. It represents the earliest stage of formation of the Early Sarmatian Culture in the South Ural. Barrow 4, both from chronological and typological point of view, is in harmony with the system of the rest of the barrows, and is outstanding only from the point of view of its size and richness. The excavation of barrow 4 is exceptionally important for the reconstruction of the special features in the burial rite of the cemetery. Almost all the barrows were plundered by ancient and contemporary robbers, who, digging deep pits in the centre of the barrow, demolished not only the burial chambers, but their wooden covering as well. In the case of barrow 4, we were extremely lucky: both ancient and contemporary robbers found the central burial chamber and left untouched most of it. So we could trace the construction of the fire-place made for sacrifices, the construction of a light supplementary (lower) covering of the burial pit, and could reveal the system of separate burials in the collective chamber. It was for the first time that untouched massive timber coffins were found, in the construction of which special bronze clamps and nails were used. Such nails were met in the cemetery before, but only now we could determine their real function. We were also very lucky with the supplementary burials that remained in their original state together with the grave-goods found in situ. So, we could record the system of decoration of the cloaks with golden sewn plates and reconstruct their original outlook (Fig. #.). In one of the burials the situation in situ of the spear'1 KOROI.'KOVA 2006.