A team of archaeologists has discovered evidence of funerary rituals involving sacrifices at the burial mound of Tunnug 1, located in the Republic of Tuva, southern Siberia. This finding suggests that the Scythians, primarily known for their presence in Eastern Europe, may have originated much further east than previously thought.

The Scythians, a nomadic people of the steppes, are famous for their horse-centered culture and distinctive art, characterized by stylized depictions of animals in specific poses. Throughout history, their mobile lifestyle allowed them to migrate across great distances, complicating the tracing of their exact origins. While it was known that they moved from Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in what is now southwestern Russia and Ukraine, their roots remained a mystery until now.

Horse-riding Scythians have captured people’s imagination since the days of Herodotus, notes Dr. Gino Caspari, the lead author of the research, affiliated with the Max Planck Society and the University of Bern. But the origins of their culture have remained hidden in remote corners of the Eurasian steppes for a long time. The team’s efforts, which include researchers from various institutions, have paid off by investigating one of the earliest examples of a royal burial containing Scythian cultural material: the Tunnug 1 kurgan, dating back to the 9th century BC.

The site of Tunnug 1 shown as a digital elevation model (left), including the excavated area and the location of clusters 1, 2 and 3 of sacrificed horse bones, and as an oblique drone image before the start of excavation (right)
The site of Tunnug 1 shown as a digital elevation model (left), including the excavated area and the location of clusters 1, 2 and 3 of sacrificed horse bones, and as an oblique drone image before the start of excavation (right). Credit: Trevor Wallace / Antiquity

Among the remains excavated in the mound are fragments of at least one human and eighteen horses, suggesting that the latter were sacrificed in honor of the buried individual, who likely belonged to the elite. This discovery reinforces the idea that horse-centered funerary rituals were already present among the early Scythians, reflecting customs later described in classical texts thousands of kilometers west, in Europe.

The horse bones, found alongside Scythian-style animal artifacts and equestrian equipment, indicate that these practices were part of a broader cultural phenomenon that the Scythians would develop with greater complexity in later times.

These Scythian-style animal objects are emblematic of steppe culture, and the discovery of some of the oldest examples at Tunnug 1 excites archaeologists. After years of hard fieldwork in Siberia, it’s wonderful to hold some of the oldest Scythian-style animal objects in our hands, said Dr. Caspari. Uncovering early evidence of a unique cultural phenomenon is a privilege and a childhood dream come true.

Remains of the horses, still with their bits on.
Remains of the horses, still with their bits on.Credit: Trevor Wallace / Antiquity

The presence of these “Scythian-style” burials as far east as Tuva suggests that the origin of Scythian culture, long shrouded in mystery, may lie on the opposite side of the Eurasian steppes. This reinforces the notion that early horse-centered cultures were highly mobile and spread over vast regions.

Beyond these observations, the Tunnug 1 mound also shares many similarities with Late Bronze Age burials in Mongolia, which would indicate that some elements of Scythian funerary rituals have roots even further east and south. The equestrian cultures of the Bronze Age in Mongolia may have influenced the funerary practices later adopted by the Scythians.

The evidence from Tunnug 1 solidifies the crucial role that Tuva plays in Eurasian prehistory, concludes Dr. Caspari. Our findings highlight the importance of Inner Asia in the development of transcontinental cultural connections. He adds that these funerary rituals not only represent a component of the Scythians’ spiritual life but may also have played a key role in broader processes of cultural and political transformation across Eurasia. The practices documented at Tunnug 1 could have contributed to the emergence of pastoral empires in later stages, such as the Scythians and other nomadic peoples who dominated vast areas of Eurasia.

SOURCES

Antiquity

Sadykov T, Blochin J, Taylor W, et al. A spectral cavalcade: Early Iron Age horse sacrifice at a royal tomb in southern Siberia. Antiquity. Published online 2024:1-20. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.145

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