PRE-SCYTHIAN BARROWS NEAR THE ZHABOTIN VILLAGE (research of 2020)

Pre-Scythian graves in the micro-region near the village of Zhabotin (the basin of the Tyasmin River, south of the Dnieper Right-Bank Forest Steppe), where the large-scale settlement on Tarasova Gora is located, were hardly known until recently. To some extent, the situation is improved by the materials of excavations in 2020 of three barrows of a group of 6 mounds. It was part of a small burial ground in the Smaliane tract, a little west of Zhabotin village. The mounds had been plowed for many years. By the time of the research they had the following dimensions: height — 0.50—1.10 m, diameter 12—35 m. Despite the looting and partial destruction of the graves, interesting information on burial rites and artefacts of material culture was obtained. The mounds were made of black soil. In one case (barrow 1), the krepida of the mound was clearly fixed from clay soil. In two cases (barrows 2 and 3) the burials were located on the level of the ancient horizon, on a bedding of thin boards and grass (barrow 2) or on an extensive platform of timbers (barrow 3). The wood bore traces of ritual burning — purification by fire. In barrow 1 the burial was made in a rather deep grave (up to 1.5 m). Unfortunately, the bones of the deceased were destroyed by looters. Only on the basis of the orientation of the grave in barrow 1 it can be considered that the deceased was lying with his head in the meridional direction. In two barrows (Nos. 1—2), there were single burials. In barrow 3, taking into account the composition of the preserved finds (bronze needle, large gold bead), a double burial could have been made. Among the finds, hand-made pottery is the best represented. A remarkable tableware set (3 cups, a bowl, a ladle) was discovered at the feast in barrow 1. Most of the crockery has luxurious ornamentation — mortise and stamped. It is inlaid with white (and in one case — white and red) paint. Judging by the preserved material culture objects, the barrows are asynchronous. The earliest barrow 1 dates back to the first half of the 8th century BC. The other two barrows can be dated to the middle-second half of the 8th century BC. Barrow 3 seems to be the most significant in social terms (the size of the mound, the powerful lining made of logs, a piece of gold).