Early Iron Age Mound Near the Village Malynivtsi in Podillia

The purpose of the research paper is to introduce the materials of mound 1 near the village of Malynivtsi in the Middle Dniester region to scientific circulation. It is crucial to characterize its funeral rites, as well as to attribute the inventory complex. Burials are included in the list of synchronous antiquities of the region. The social attribution of the persons buried there is conducted. The scientific novelty of the work is in the general characteristic of the Early Iron Age complex from Podillia. Since its unique characteristic is the presence of both pre-Scythian and Scythian features in the rites, Malynivtsi burial complex is an important source for studying the evolution of the Early Scythian funeral rites in the Middle Dniester region, because most of the burial mounds in the region are associated with the somewhat later Kelermesskaia period. Conclusions. Mound 1 near Malynivtsi contained several burials performed according to both inhumation and cremation rites. Analogies to them can be found in the Middle Dniester region and they are associated with both pre-Scythian and Scythian times. The pre-Scythian features include the presence of a group of graves under one mound, burial in a cist, group burials are more common, and the peculiar positioning of the dead in one tomb with their heads in different directions. The northwestern orientation of bodies also prevails in the pre-Scythian period and could be found in most necropolises of that time. At the same time, a number of features already have parallels in the Scythian times: the topography of the necropolis on the watershed, and the burning down of the wooden constructions of the tomb. The inventory complex contains mainly handmade pottery. Tulip-shaped vessels are characteristic of the pre-Scythian period. Pots with a roller on the rim and body, or only on the rim, existed both in the pre-Scythian and Scythian times. However, the first type is not yet known among the burials of the Western Podillia group of the Scythian period. Thus, according to the combination of features of the funeral rite and inventory, Mound 1 near the village of Malynivtsi can be attributed to the turn of the Pre-Scythian and Scythian periods.