Social Stratification of the Population of Forest-Steppe of the Dnieper Left-Bank Area during the Classical Scythian Period (the Second Half of 6th — 4th/3rd Century BC)

• Date: 2021
• Main Author: Burghardt, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Інститут археології НАН України 2021
• Series: Археологія і давня історія України
• Subjects: Статті
• Online Access: https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/187537
• Journal Title: Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• Cite this: Social Stratification of the Population of Forest-Steppe of the Dnieper Left-Bank Area during the Classical Scythian Period (the Second Half of 6th — 4th/3rd Century BC) / M. Burghardt // Археологія і давня історія України: Зб. наук. пр. — К.: ІА НАН України, 2021. — Вип. 4 (41). — С. 11-26. — Бібліогр.: 35 назв. — англ.

The article discusses the issue regarding the reconstruction of social structure of the Scythian populations from the forest-steppe zone of the left-bank Dnieperland, in the period between the 2nd half of 6th—4th/3rd century BC, on the basis of funeral materials. As a result of the analysis of the most important elements of burial rites implemented by the discussed population groups, and based on records of ancient authors (The Histories by Herodotus), it has been established that the most valuable sources are the size and complexity of the funerary structure and covering embankment as well as quantitative and qualitative diversity of included inventory. The classification developed on the basis of 247 burials, by means of statistical inference methods, has led to the separation of several classes of graves that can be combined with different social strata. This distinguished classes were sorted according to the social hierarchy, that is in such a way that the transition to the subsequent classes is connected with the decreased amount of work used to build the burial construction and the burial mound, and the grave goods becoming «poorer».