Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

scythians in central asia
7.21 Kurgan 9 at Berel seen here towards the end of the excavation, showing the timber burial chamber
and the bodies of the horses laid against it in the burial pit.
from wood and covered in gold foil for use as harness decoration and a range of
leather work and textiles.
The Ukok plateau lies high in the Altai range on the border between Russia and
China about 150 km west of Berel. It is a remote place suffering harsh winters mitigated
only by the fact that the strong winds constantly sweep the snow from the
upland pastures making it possible for animals to browse all year round. In 1993,
at Ak-Alakha, a kurgan closely similar to others found in the Altai, was excavated
exposing a burial chamber built of larch logs laid horizontally. The walls inside were
decorated with cut-outs of leather depicting deer. The burial, placed in a coffin made
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