Military burials of the Rzhev burial ground of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture

Author(s):  V.A. Sarapulkin, no, no, Belgorod National Research University, Belgorod, Russia, Sarapulkin@bsu.edu.ru

Issue:  Volume 47, № 1

Rubric:  Topical issues of russian history

Annotation:  The article is devoted to burials with elements of arming Rzhevsky cemetery of the Saltovo-Mayaki material culture. The archaeological site is located on the left bank of the left tributary of the Seversky Donets river – the Nezhegol river, within the Shebekinsky district of the Belgorod region of Russia. In 2004–2007, the burial ground was excavated by an archaeological expedition of the Belgorod state University under the direction of the author. A total of 85 burials were studied, dating from the end of the VIII–IX ninth centuries ad. 15 burials performed by the rite of inhumation the corpse into the pits were investigated. The elements of horse trappings, complexes consisting of the skull and legs of the horse, armor-piercing spear points were found in most burials. This suggests that equestrian-spearman was the main element of the army. Despite some differences in the com-position of the grave goods, the materials of the grave do not allow to make a conclusion about the existence of a druzhina leadership as part of the nation on the site. The burial rite of the site testi-fies to the rather egalitarian nature of the society.

Keywords:  Saltovo-Mayaki culture, military burials, complexes of horse skull and legs, horse trappings, spears.

Full text (PDF):  Download

Downloads count:  337

DOI:  10.18413/2687-0967-2020-47-1-97-106

Reference to article:  Sarapulkin V.A. 2020. Military burials Rzhevsky cemetery of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture. Via in tempore. History and political science, 47(1): 97–106 (in Russian). DOI