Ольшана: погребение предскифского времени в днепровской правобережной лесостепи
Olshana: The Grave of the Pre-Scythian Time in the Dnieper’s Right-Bank Forest-Steppe

Summary/Abstract: The article is dedicated to the publication of materials from an early Iron Age grave discovered in the burial mound near the village Olshana in the Tyasmin river basin. The tomb originally represented a wooden crypt of rectangular shape of 4.8 × 3.9 m with walls which were looking like a paling. It was focused on the axis north – northwest – south – southeast. The entrance was made in the southeast part. The remains of an adolescent aged 14-15 years rested on a wooden scaffold, on bedding. The body lay on the back, with the head oriented south – southeast. He was buried together with numerous and various things. Among them – a golden torque and a pin – suspension bracket, weapon (iron sword, 2 daggers, 2 spears, 92 bronze arrow-heads), bronze details from a chariot of 4 horses and a complete bridle set, 4 clay vessels and other objects.The features of these finds enable relating this tomb to the category of burial places of the so-called Novocherkassk group. Many researchers correlate these monuments to antiquities of the historical Cimmerians. The things found in the tomb and the type of grave construction enable dating it by the early 7th century B.C. Large size of the grave, significant amount of various things, including socially prestigious, such as chariot, golden ornaments – offer grounds to regard the tomb found in Olshana as the burial place of a person having family ties with the noble strata of nomads, probably, Cimmerians. He could be a son or a younger brother of one of the leaders, whose tribe controlled southern areas of the Dnieper’s right-bank forest-steppe in the late 8th – early 7th centuries B.C.

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