Part II Archaeological Excavations - Center for the Study of Eurasian ...

Kurgans, Ritual Sites, and Settlements: Eurasian Bronze and Iron Age
The Assemblages of the Middle Sarmatian Culture
According to the burial rites and artifact associations, the Middle
Sarmatian assemblages are very similar to those of the Early
Sarmatians. The most typical shape of the pit burials is a long
rectangular construction with the length approximately twice
the width. The deceased were usually supine with the head oriented
south. As in the Early Sarmatian Period, one sheep leg
with shoulder were part of the grave goods. Artifact associations
are also similar with swords, arrowheads, ceramics, bronze
mirrors, and beads being the most common (Burial 2 in Kurgan
3, Burial 1 in Kurgan 6, burials 13 and 15 in Kurgan 8). A
bronze fibula was discovered in burial 1 in kurgan 6 (Fig. 7: 4).
A long sword with a rhomboid guard and a definite Oriental
design was found in Burial 1, Kurgan 6 (Fig. 7: 12). This sword
is very similar to a sword found in the Early Sarmatian Burial
2, Kurgan 2. With it was a short sword with a circular pommel
(Fig. 7: 9) and a bronze fibula (Fig. 7: 4). This type of fibula
(milita) was widespread in western European Roman provinces,
and was known from the Zarubinetsk Culture as well as from
some sites in the northern Black Sea area. According to the
latest publications they can be dated from 150 BC–150 AD
(Eramenko and Zuravlev 1992).
Both Early and Middle Sarmatian burial assemblages contained
similar forms of ceramics manufactured in one of the Kuban
region rural centers. This indicates that the nomadic people of
the Volga-Don steppe area continued the same cultural and economic
traditions incorporating some developments over time.
For example, the green-glazed alabaster two-handled vessel
(Fig. 11: 3) found in Burial 15, Kurgan 8, is well known from
northern Mesopotamia, in the Dura-Europos excavations, in
the territory of Media, and also has been found in lower Volga,
lower Don, and Kuban River sites. The largest centers of production
of such glazed pottery were at Selevkia-on-Tiger and
Dura-Europos. Research indicates the possibility of glazed
pottery production in the territory of either Media or Armenia,
with the green-blue glaze being transmitted throughout the
steppes at the end of the 1 st century BC (Gadgiev 1997). Two
additional vessels of the same type were discovered in Sarmatian
sites on the Don and Volga rivers. The Sarmatians could have
obtained them in a variety of ways. In his Geography, Strabo
mentions a trade route from Media through the Caucasus to the
Sarmatian steppes, which was controlled by the Aorsi. The alabaster
vessel in Burial 15 could have reached the Sarmatians
on the Aksai River as a result of trade. Another possibility is
that the Sarmatians could have obtained the vessel during military
raids through the Caucasus and into Media and Armenia.
Tactius, Flavius, and other authors also wrote about these raids.
Discussion of the Middle Sarmatian Culture
The current debate concerning the formation of the Middle
Sarmatian Culture divides Sarmatian scholars into two groups:
autochthonists and migrationists. The autochthonists assume
that the Early Sarmatian Culture was created based on local
resources. The migrationists connect the formation of the
Middle Sarmatian culture with the movement of a new wave
of nomads, probably the Alans from the East, whom the ancient
authors identify as the Massagetae. Although the artifacts
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from the Middle Sarmatian period at Aksai are not numerous,
it is possible to use them toward a solution of this problem.
The continuity of burial rites and material culture indicate that
probably the same population continued to live in this region
from the Early through the Middle Sarmatian periods. There is
not a clear chronological split between Early and Middle
Sarmatian assemblages. All the Middle Sarmatian burials date to
the 1 st century AD. The bronze fibula that was excavated from
Burial 1, Kurgan 6, confirms this date. We propose that the Early
and Middle assemblages on the banks of the Aksai River were
abandoned by the Aorsi from 100 BC through 100 AD.
This does not mean that the autochthonist point of view is the
only interpretation of the formation of Middle Sarmatian culture.
A more global problem also exists. The artifacts and sites
of the Sarmatian Culture cover thousands of kilometers, from
western Siberia to the Danube River. In our opinion, the problem
may be resolved by merging these two hypotheses, by analyzing
both local and migrational data.
Late Sarmatian Burial Assemblages
Looters destroyed five of the six burials from the Late Sarmatian
Period (Burial 1 in Kurgan 2, Burial 1 in Kurgan 3, and Burials
2 in kurgans 4–5 and 7–8). Therefore, it is not possible to describe
the disposition of the burials, burial rites, or the material
culture. We are able, however, able to document some changes
in burial customs. Late Sarmatians buried their dead individually
in narrow pits under smaller mounds. Previous traditions
continued, such as the orientation of the deceased to the south,
although in Later Sarmatian sites the orientation to the north
predominated. Because burials at Aksai were oriented south,
these burials are designated as belonging to the early stage of
the Late Sarmatian Culture.
Two profile fibulae (Fig. 2: 5–6) discovered in a Late Sarmatian
undisturbed burial in Kurgan 1, allows us to date this complex
from the end of the 1 st to the 2 nd century AD (Skripkin 1977).
Probably all the other Late Sarmatian burials in the Aksai
kurgans had been created during the same time period, built by
the same ethnic group that had lived here from the end of the
Early Sarmatian Culture.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we can note that the oldest Aksai kurgans were
constructed in the Bronze Age and were reused during the 6 th
century BC, and again from 100 BC through 200 AD. This
conclusion should be considered preliminary because two additional
kurgans have not yet been investigated. The artifacts
of the Early Iron Age from the Aksai kurgans are valuable
supplements to available historical sources in the study of the
southeastern European populations.
One of the most controversial problems in Sarmatian archaeology
is the question of what are the distinguishing features that
make up the Middle Sarmatian Culture. The artifacts from Aksai
are not numerous but they can be used toward a solution of this
problem. The continuity in burial rituals and material culture
lead us to propose that the same population continued to live