Current work site: Krasnodar Krai
Head of expedition: Tatyana Ryabkova
The Trans-Kuban Region is extremely rich in archaeological monuments dating from various periods and is closely linked with early Scythian history. In 1897, N.I. Veselovsky, Senior Member of the Imperial Archaeological Commission, studied several Division Kurgans on the territory of modern Mostovsky District. An Early Scythian tomb with an impressive collection of artefacts was found under Division Kurgan 1 (Kostromskoy Kurgan); the burial rite was different from those registered on any similar sites known at the time. Owing to the fast dissemination of the excavation results among the scientific community, the Kostromskoy Kurgan came to be seen as an iconic Early Scythian monument. However, the excavation and recording methods used by 19th c. archaeologists failed to provide complete and reliable information about the monument, which continued to remain a mystery for another century or more. In view of this, it was decided to conduct a reinvestigation of the site.
In 2010–2012, the Expedition found the kurgan to have been constructed over a razed Bronze Age mound. Two burials from the initial mound were preserved, one in the catacomb explored by N.I. Veselovsky, the other in a shallow pit (first studied in 2010). After the Bronze Age mound had been levelled, a new artificial hill with a flat top, stretching 26 m from west to east and about 24 m from north to south (maximum height above the natural 0.8 m), was constructed on the resulting pad. Sacrificial complexes filled with horse and cow heads were found just off the northern boundary of the substructure. Underneath the topsoil, a log frame (cage) made up of 3–4 rows was located on the surface of the newly constructed mound, with wooden structures outside covered with felt cloth and plastered with clay; traces of a funeral feast (fragmented dishes) were found on top. The presence of a tabernacle was not confirmed as the imprints of the burnt wooden blocks on the surface were haphazard rather than arranged in any regular pattern. After the funerary structure had been burnt, a new mound was started in which soil layers alternated with organic deposits. The retrieved fragmented walls of ancient vessels make it possible to date the monument to the late 7th–early 6th c. BC. Following the re-investigation, the mound was fully reconstructed.
Another Early Scythian monument is Division Kurgan 10, explored in 2012. Over 2013, the Expedition continued the study of the mound burial; four Bronze Age burials and an Early Meot tomb were found under Division Kurgan 6. Just off the gravesite, another settlement (Tarasova-Balka) was discovered which yielded a representative collection of Scythian pottery and confirmed the feasibility of further investigations on the monument. All retrieved materials, upon scientific analysis and restoration procedures, are transferred to the State Hermitage Museum.
