In Search of the Scythian Culture: Writing about Those Lost - Term Paper Example

Client In Search of the Scythian Culture: Writing About Those Lost The history of the nomadic, horse-riding pastoralists is an un-chronicled culture that must rely on secondary sources to tell its story. The Scythians were an group that spoke with Iranian language, dominated the Pontic steppe in the centuries before the common era, or BC, and who left a small amount of remains that tell the tale of these fascinating people. Most of the information available about them is due to the writing of the Greek historian, Herodotus. As well, archaeological remains of burial mounds in the Ukraine and in Southern Russia have yielded amazing gold pieces, tools, weaponry, and fascinating and informative mummified remains. The area that covers much of present day Ukraine, Russia and Central Asia was known in the middle ages as Scythia. The Scythian tribes dominated in this area which bordered on ancient Rome from around the 8th century BC to approximately the 2nd century CE, or Common Era. The most interesting area that was inhabited by the Scythians is the Altai Mountains which connect central Asia at a point where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kasakhstan conjoin. The mountains source the Ob, Yenisef, and Irtysh rivers and the temperature remains cold as the mountains are sit on glaciers and the water that feeds these rivers is from these glaciers. 1 Client Last Name The Altai Mountains provide a perfect habitat to sustain mummified remains that can host a great benefit of discovery. Much of the ground is in a state of permafrost, which indicates that the soil remains at a temperature below freezing. The freezing temperatures preserve bodies, even after thousands of years have passed so that research can be done to find hints of a history that was not written with ink. In 2006 reports surfaced of a mummy found in these mountains of a Scythian man. It was reported that, “The spectacular find of the frozen remains of a Scythian warrior in Mongolia by an international team of archeologists could shed new light on ancient life.”(Ancient Mummy). The man is reported to be in good preservation. “The corpse of the Scythian warrior could help provide clues about how people lived 2,500 years ago and about what illnesses they suffered.” (Ancient Mummy). The warrior has blond hair, is somewhere between thirty to forty years old and was discovered in an intact burial mound. His condition was remarkable. Hermann Parzinger, president of the German Archeological Institute, spoke about the condition of the find: The warrior, whose cause of death has not been determined, was buried in full dress. "He wore a fur coat made of marmot fur with sheeps wool lining and adorned with sable," Parzinger said. Beneath the fur coat, traces could be found of woven wool pants. The mans feet were covered by knee-high felt boots. "There could be more surprises when we remove the clothing from the partly mummified body," he added. Parzinger said researchers believe the decorations indicated he was a man of nobility. (Ancient Mummy) The remains found in these mountains are worth the time to explore the depths of possible new excavations with a large funding source and expert methodology. In searching found burial mounds of the Scythian people, a great deal of 2 Client Last Name knowledge can be acquired from the mummified remains and the items left in the tombs. One important aspect of the finds can contribute to the knowledge of the material culture of the people. By examining tools, weapons, clothing and other material items left behind, certain educated assumptions can be determined. Material culture is determined by two sources. The first source is written history and the second is archaeological. Since the Scythians had no written language, archaeological evidence is the only first hand source of information. The writing of Herodotus describes the nomadic existence of the Scythes. Their state was formed on the principles of expansionist war policy and exploitation of the enslaved tribes and nations. Nomadic cattle-breeding was their main activity, the basis of their economy. That influenced all aspects of their life as mobile belligerent horsemen and primarily their houses. According to Herodotus (IV, 46, 127) Scythians did not build towns and fortresses, cart was their house. It made Scythians invincible to their enemies. In case of a halt or external menace they arranged their carts in a circle making a kind of fortress camp (Fialko) Archaeological finding is limited primarily to burial mounds because of the nomadic existence of the people of the Scythe. Launching a focused research journey to the Altai Mountains with the intent of finding more such burial sites could yield an unimaginable wealth of information. According to Olena Failko, author of an article about the material culture of the Scythes for the 7th International Colloquium of Funerary Archaeology, “We recognize Scythian material culture by the so called triad - arms, bridle and animal-style works of art - peculiar to that very ethnic group.”. What has been discovered has been a wealth of 3 Client Last Name information, supporting the writing of Herodotus and lending further proof of the type of society developed in those mountains. While spears and javelins were discovered, the primary weapon appears to be the bow and arrow. “ Life and social organization of Scythians, especially early in their development, were fully determined by war. According to Herodotus, Scythia is a state where everyone is a mounted archer, that is a warrior.”. As well, the culture of the mounted archer is further supported by the discovery of arrowheads. “Arrowheads were found almost in every grave (their number varied from few pieces to several hundreds). At that time, arrowheads were mainly cast in bronze. But iron, bone and wooden ones of various shapes and sizes also existed“(Fialko) This warrior based society, however, is told from a viewpoint of a man who was not a part of this culture. A new expedition could go in looking for signs of the every day life of all members of the society. Most burial sites of consequence have been those of nobility. The Kurgan woman who was found in remarkable condition was in the “1994 National Geographic, Natalia Polosmak, senior research fellow of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, Siberia, had finally made her find on the Ukok plateau of the Altai mountains public” (Turner). This find was remarkable for its unique representation. “In all of the kurgan burials that had been excavated since Sergei Rudenko began his methodical excavations of the Pazyryk back in 1929, this woman was the first to be found buried alone, interred six horses and frozen beneath a kurgan mound for 2,400 years.”(Turner). The unique statement made by this find gives hope that more 4 Client Last Name research and excavation could reveal a different view on the people of the Scythian culture. The methodology that can be used in the Altai Mountains utilizes advanced technology along with old fashioned digging. W. Ghehle from Ghent University in Belgium spoke during a session at the International Conference on Scythian Archaeology and the Archaeology of the Altai Mountains in December of 2006 about the creation of a database of the more than 5000 burial sites in the area. According to E. Jacobson of the University of Oregon, the “amount of data received in collaboration with researchers. . . had exceeded the ‘critical mass’ required for hypothesis and should be conceptualized”. (Cheremisin). Modern mapping techniques along with landscape archaeology, which studies the material traces within the context of the environment, using the natural landscape to help to define the use and to interpret what is found within an area of cultural habitation. Using the artistic pieces of gold and interpreting the tattoos that are liberally located within the burial mounds in order to balance them against their environment is beneficial in discovering more about this elusive culture. Methods of dating and analyzing the finds at the site will be both classic and modern. On the site analysis will consist of comparing the finds to previous finds. Stratigraphic relationships determined by the deposits of material will help to narrow time periods of finds and to associate what is found to what has been found previously. Attempts to create seriation by finding a proper chronology for what is found will be important to specify the cultural century from which the material culture was created. 5 Client Last Name Radiocarbon dating for the organic material can determine an approximate time of death for any mummified remains, and thermoluminescence dating can be used on inorganic material to narrow its time of use. Medical forensic investigation of any remains can help to determine age, sex, if female, whether or not she has given birth, any disease that might be present, and ultimately a cause of death. Dental investigation can determine nutritional values, any oral care given, and can sometimes help to determine the status of the individual within the society. Those of higher status usually have a higher degree of nutritional level within their food. Depending on what is discovered, it will be beneficial to compare the find with those of previous finds and compare notes with the researchers and archaeologists who have studied these types of remains. Speaking with people like Natalia Polosmak who discovered the Kurgan woman, with Hermann Parzinger who was involved with the Scythian warrior, and with others who have found, studied, and written about these wonderful finds would enhance the work done at Altai. Finding professionals in the fields of study that are not within the province of the original research team to fill in the gaps of education will be determined as the find produces results. As well, speaking with the local people to get their sense of the history of the area can lend a hand in oral traditions that can have hidden truths that should be examined in reference to the material culture. The culture of the Scythians is cloaked in much mystery. It is believed that the 6 Client Last Name male deities that they worshipped were of Thracian origin, although there does not seem to be a connection to the female deities of Thrace. The culture is considered Thraco - Anatolian and the adaptation in later time to Greek gods associated them closely with Ares, the god of war. “Purely nomadic and Iranian was the Scythian worship of the war-god Ares: in the form of a sword cult.” (Fisher) Herodotus spoke of wizards in the culture who used fortune telling and that sacrifices of animals, especially horses was prevalent. This may be in evidence by the four horses found with the Kurgan woman, a tribe that was similar in culture to the Scythians. In view of the burial offerings, that of sacrifices, both animal and human, the concept of the nobility was strong within the tribes. The burial mounds of the nobility are full of material wealth, both in the form of arms and gold as well as in death sacrifices. This would suggest a hierarchical political system that had a centered power in the form of a leader whose death would bring about great displays. War and trade were the ways in which contact was made with the outside world. They were a primarily warrior race that would have no problem with establishing good trade for the betterment of their tribe. Along with their war-like designation comes the beauty of the gold work found in the mounds, as well as the intricate tattooing found on skin still intact after thousands of years. Their life was not all harsh as in evidence of these skillful creations. New research can find more evidence of a kinder nature that can lead to a greater understanding of daily life. The beauty that is find next to the weaponry can suggest an artistic culture within their society. Despite the reports within Herodotus’ histories, it is possible that the war 7 Client Last Name culture existed in unison with a culture that was creative, family oriented, and peaceful within the tribe. Further research can determine the truth about the culture as the people of the Scythe are revealed by what they have left behind. 8 Client Last Name Works Cited “Ancient Mummy Found in Mongolia”. Spiegel Online International. 25 August 2006 15 December 2008. Cheremisin, D.V. “International conference on Scythian Archaeology and the Archaeology of the Altai Mountains, Ghent, Het Pand, December 4–6, 2006”. Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia. 31 January 2008MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica distributed exclusively by Springer Science+Business Media LLC. 11 December 2008. Fialko, Olena . “The Society of the Living – the Community of the Dead (from Neolithic to the Christian Era)”. Proceedings of the 7th International Colloquium of Funerary Archaeology. 12 December 2008 Fisher, William Bayne, et al. The Cambridge History of Iran. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Turner, Mary Lynn E. “A Culture on the Hoof: Kurgan Woman of the Pazryrk” University of Missouri. 11 December 2008. 9 Read More