The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

THE CELTIC CRADLE 67
suggests that it is one of long standing. It may be, then, that we should consider it
rather as a cross between the broad-headed Ofnet t57pe, and some long-headed
palaeohthic race, such as that of Combe Capelle.
On the steppe lands east of the Dnieper, and stretching thence to the confines
of Asia, and apparently beyond into Turkestan, we find evidence of another people,
who are of great importance to our problem." Unfortunately we know less of them
than we could wish, for many of their remains have come to light as the result of
unscientific digging, and the few results of expert exploration have been meagrely
published in very unaccessible proceedings. These people buried their dead in barrows,
or kurgans, and for this reason they have been called Kurgan people." This name,
however, is open to objection, as several other folk at different times have buried in
kurgans throughout this region. The chief peculiarity of the people I am dealing with
is that they buried their dead in a contracted position, and that skeletons have been
found thickly covered with red ochre. For this reason some writers have called them red
skeleton men or nomad red men.^^ This again is not quite a satisfactory term, and
I have suggested in its place steppe-folk or nomad steppe-folk.**
The graves of these men were poorly furnished. They contained usually a few
stone or bone implements and a certain type of pot with a hemispherical base. The
evidence available a few years ago led to the belief that they were in a neolithic condition
and totally ignorant of the use of metal, but some recent discoveries at Maikop, in the
Koban basin, disclosed a considerable number of objects of gold and silver. From this
and similar finds Rostovtzeff*' has argued that these steppe-folk were responsible for
a considerable civilisation ; but, taking into account the poverty displayed by most
of their burials, I am disposed to think of them as still living in a neolithic state, but
sometimes raiding the richer and more advanced civilisations to the south, which had
long reached a chalcohthic stage. Rostovtzeff is probably right in attributing the
Maikop discoveries to the early part of the third millenium, which brings them within
the period we are discussing.
" Minns (1913) 142-145; Zaborowski (1895) 125-130, 134-135 ; Rostovtzeff (1920) 60, 109-1 11.
" Myres (1906) 541.
»3 Minns (1913) 142.
>4 Peake (1916) 1. 163 fn.
»5 Rostovtzeff (1920) no.