A new Scythian period site in the Western Volga region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.2.284.296Keywords:
archaeology, Early Iron Age, the Scythians, Ananyino cultural and historical area, ritual-burial complex, burial rite, horse gear, weapons and decorations, datingAbstract
This paper presents the results of two-year studies in the Pilna district of the Nizhny Novgorod region, which led to the identification of a new archaeological heritage site. The authors attribute this archaeological site to the Early Iron Age, the materials of which are quite clearly linked to the Ananyino and Scythian antiquities. The exact nature of the site remains uncertain; at present, it is interpreted as a ritual-burial complex. Analysis of the discovered artifacts suggests a tentative dating to the V–IV centuries BC. The remote location of this site on the periphery of the Scythian and Ananyino ecumene indicates the existence of a trade route extending from the northern part of the Black Sea to the middle Volga along the northern edge of the forest-steppe zone. It is highly possible that this archaeological point marks the distant contacts of the Scythians with the tribes of the Gorodets culture, communicating with the locals "with the help of seven translators in seven languages" to trade weapons and handicrafts, perhaps horses "under the saddle", in exchange for honey and wax, furs and slaves.
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Copyright (c) 2026 S.E. Zubov, O.A. Radyush, R.R. Sattarov, E.Yu. Fedorova
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