The Perishable Material Culture of the Pontic Steppe Scythians: Scientific Investigation of a Fourth‐century Bc Kurgan Burial at Bulhakovo, Ukraine

Abstract

Summary Using the organic artefacts from the fourth‐century BC grave at Bulhakovo in southern Ukraine, this article discusses the economics of the perishable material culture of the Scythians of the Pontic Steppe region. Thanks to the survival of organic materials (wood, leather, textiles), the burial provides important information about the complex networks of production and exchange that existed in European Scythia. Scientific analyses produced new data regarding materials and techniques used for the production of wooden, leather and textile objects, providing an opportunity for a more nuanced discussion of their production and consumption.

Human and animal skin identified by palaeoproteomics in Scythian leather objects from Ukraine

“…Preliminary analyses of several fragments from Ilyinka identified the red pigment as cinnabar (HgS), a naturally occurring mercury sulphide [ 44 ]. Cinnabar was widely used by the Scythians for the decoration of a variety of different objects and materials, including wooden arrow shafts [ 26 ], boxes, and furniture, as well as bone implements such as spindles. The presence of cinnabar on the samples analysed thus may indicate the use of Scythian traditions and further points towards local production.…”

“…Scythian archaeological and iconographic evidence provides proof that leather was used to make vessels, mirror cases, quivers [27], shoes [26,67], garments such as trousers and coats [68], and the lining for metal armour such as greaves [69]. The detailed iconographic depictions of Scythians in leather garments with embossed decoration such as those appearing on Scythian toreutics [15,68] (Fig 7), appear to show distinctly Scythian fashion.…”