Archaeology Magazine - January 1972 - 59

becauseof the hunting activity of man.
The remains of 128 mammoths were
found. The majority of these were immature and such mass annihilation of
the youngof these animalswhichmultiplied slowlywas probablyresponsiblefor
the destruction of the entire species.
This evidence also shows, once more,
the insolvencyof the theorythat glaciers
extended over the northern temperate
zone, for a study of the contemporary
flora and fauna indicate the climate in
this area differed little from that of
today.
Neolithic and Bronze Age
For fiveyears Byelorussianarchaeologists have been excavating a Neolithic
site (fifth-third millennium b.c.) near
the villageof Kamen in Polesya.Horse,
cow and goat fossilsfound here indicate that thesepeoplekept domesticanimals 3000-1000years earlier than had
previouslybeen thought.
A portrait galleryof peoplewho lived
3500 years ago is being constructedby
AndranikDzhagaryan,a prominentArmenian surgeon and head of the Department of Operative Surgery and
TopographicAnatomy at the Yerevan
Medical Institute.
When the waters of Lake Sevan
started retreating to bare parts of its
bottom, Armenian achaeologistsuncovered the ruins of an ancient fortressand
extensiveburials of the fourteenth century b.c., located in the area of Lchashen village. Some of the graves, probably those of the chiefs, contained
woodenchariots,gold and bronze ornaments in addition to weaponsand domestic articles. Professor Dzhagaryan
was called in to find out what these
peoplelookedlike.
For several months ProfessorDzhagaryan conducted extensiveroentgenologicalinvestigationson more than 200
skulls, studied the bone structure and
comparedthe resultswith the structure
of the skulls of the present-day local
population. He also investigated the
causesofdeath and discoveredthat in the
burials with war chariots, all the skeletons, except one (the chief?) had a
characteristicfracture of the neck vertebrae, an indication of violent death.
The killing of servants with a deceased master must have been customaryamong these people.
After studying the bone and skull
structures, ProfessorDzhagaryan could
restorethe head by graduallyrecreating
the musculature of the face. He con-

cluded that anthropologicalelementsof
these ancients are retained by the present-day inhabitants of the Armenian
highlands,indicatingtheir ancestorshad
lived in this area for at least 3500
years.
Saka Burial
An ancient Saka burial mound of the
fifth-fourth century b.c. was excavated
near the settlementof Issyk,twenty-five
miles from Alma-Ata, the capital of
Kazakhstan. The grave, built of well
preservedTien Shan spruce, contained
the remains of an eighteen-year-old
warrior. He was dressed in a gilt-embroidered costumeand accompaniedby
nearly 400 gold objects. In addition,
ceramic, silver and bronze vesselswere Kemal jshev, head of the ArchaeologyDefound under the mound. These finds, partm at the Kazakh Academyof Sciences,
all original works of art, indicate the stud; ihe find from a Saka burial.
existenceof ethnic and culture ties between the Saka tribes and the Iranian
tribes of Persia.
Scythian Burial
An expeditionundertakenin 1969by
the ArchaeologyInstitute of the Academy of Sciencesof the Ukrainian USSR
uncovered an important treasure in a
grave located on the outskirts of the
villageof Zaporozhye.There a tumulus,
known locally as the "Gaimonova
Grave," had been built by the Scythians
in the fourth century b.c. Eight meters
below the top of the tumulus was a
burial chamber with entrances on the
east and west. In clearing the western
entrance, the archaeologists found a
passage previouslydug by robbers, in
which were disturbed human bones,
arrow and spearheads and articles of
iron and bronze. Becauseof the possibility of a cave-in, professionalminers
from a nearbyiron workswere called in
to help clear the undisturbed areas of
the burial chamber. The skeletons of
two slaves,a horse with a bronzebridle
and a wine amphora were found by the
eastern entrance. At the foot of the
northern wall a downfall of earth had
preserved the leg bones of a buried
woman, with the remains of leather
shoes decorated with forty-three gold
triangular plates. In all, more than 200
gold ornaments- pendants for necklaces and decorative plates- all skillfully wrought in the Scythian animal
style, were scattered throughout the
chamber.
During excavations a heavy shower
caused the chamber's already fragile
walls to collapse, thus necessitatinga

A gold Saka neckbandwith lion head, terminals
and a gold hair ornament.

The study of gold Saka plates used to adorn the
cloths of a dead warrior. The plate under the
glassis in the form of a lion's head.
59

Archaeology Magazine - January 1972

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - January 1972