La tomba di un auriga in Siberia ?

[ARES III]

 

Siberia: scoperto scheletro di 3000 anni con una strana ‘cintura’

Si pensa che il cimitero appartenga alla cultura Lugav della tarda età del bronzo.

I resti, che si pensa appartengano ad un auriga e che risalgono a circa 3000 anni fa, sono stati trovati insieme a un pezzo di metallo uncinato in bronzo che si pensava fosse usato per guidare i carri. Il gancio permetterebbe al conducente di essere attaccato al carro dalla vita, lasciando le mani libere. L’oggetto metallico è stato trovato intorno alla vita dello scheletro che è rimasto indisturbato da quando fu sepolto nella tarda età del bronzo .L’auriga e altre tombe sono state scoperte vicino al villaggio di Kamyshta in Siberia. Gli archeologi hanno passato anni a scavare quest’area prima che venissero realizzati i piani per espandere la linea ferroviaria. Ad oggi non sono stati trovati carri nell’area sepolcrale. Tuttavia, l’oggetto è simile a quelli trovati con gli aurighi dell’età del bronzo in Mongolia e Cina. La tomba conteneva anche gioielli in bronzo e un coltello di bronzo, l’età di questi oggetti risale al tempo della cultura Lugav.

 

Il team ritiene che le sepolture abbiano avuto luogo in quest’area per quattro secoli e che le tombe rivelino tre fasi della tarda età del bronzo intorno all’XI secolo a.C., che comprende le transizioni dalla cultura Karauk alla cultura Lugava, la cultura Lugava nella fase intermedia e la fase finale che mostra le caratteristiche della fase Banino della cultura Tagar . Sebbene non siano stati ancora scoperti carri in questa regione, nella regione erano noti carri trainati da cavalli. La cultura del tempo costruiva casse funerarie in pietra con pareti estese, simili a un carro o una slitta. Il team prevede di continuare gli scavi per saperne di più sulle pratiche funebri in questo periodo di tempo.

https://www.scienzenotizie.it/2023/07/24/siberia-scoperto-scheletro-di-3000-anni-con-una-strana-cintura-2971463

[ARES III]

Possible Charioteer Found in Bronze Age Grave in Siberia

 

(Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences)

 

KHAKASSIA, SIBERIA—According to a Live Science report, archaeologist Aleksey Timoshchenko of the Russian Academy of Sciences and his colleagues have found a hooked piece of bronze at the waist of skeletal human remains in an intact, 3,000-year-old grave in Siberia. Similar metal artifacts have been found in Bronze Age graves containing horses and chariots in China, and it is thought that charioteers could use such hooks to affix the reins to their waists, allowing them the use of their hands. The square stone tomb, thought to belong to the cattle-breeding Lugav culture, had been covered with a mound of earth and also contained a bronze knife and bronze jewelry. Team member Oleg Mitko of Novosibirsk State University explained that the inclusion of the bronze belt accessory in the burial may have been symbolic, since remains of chariots have not been found in any burials in Siberia to date.

https://www.archaeology.org/news/11603-230720-siberia-bronze-charioteer

[ARES III]

3,000-Year-Old Grave of Unknown Charioteer Unearthed in Siberia, Revealing Horse-Drawn Chariots Were Used in the Region

Archaeologists discovered an untouched 3,000-year-old grave in Siberia, revealing evidence of horse-drawn chariots in the region for the first time. The grave contained skeletal remains alongside a unique metal attachment for a belt, enabling charioteers to secure reins to their waists. Similar artifacts have been found in Chinese and Mongolian burials.

Aleksey Timoshchenko, an archaeologist from the Russian Academy of Sciences, confirmed to Live Science the artifact's original placement at the person's waist in the undisturbed grave.

(Photo : Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

An ancient Greek warrior mounts his vehicle behind the charioteer, circa 500 BC.

An Object With Unknown Purpose

The distinctive hooked metal attachment for a belt as well as direct analogies in burial mounds of China helped archaeologists determine its purpose, says Timoshchenko.

 

 

In the Askizsky region of Khakassia, Siberia, under the leadership of Timoshchenko,

Haaretz previously reported that Russian archaeologists under the leadership of Timoshchenko embarked on an expedition to excavate areas in the Askizsky region of Khakassia, Siberia, in preparation for a railway expansion.

The charioteer burial, along with other tombs, was discovered during this month's research near the village of Kamyshta, as Live Science reported.

Consultant archaeologist Oleg Mitko from Novosibirsk State University, who is not a member of the expedition but provides expertise on the findings, explained that similar objects to the "charioteer's belt" had been previously discovered but remained enigmatic. In Russian archaeology, they were labeled as "items of unknown purpose" (PNN).

However, recent findings of Bronze Age charioteer burials in China, including chariots and horse remains, have shed light on the purpose of such objects. Consequently, it is now understood that the belt plate served as an accessory for a chariot.

While no chariots have been uncovered in Siberian burials, the presence of the hooked bronze belt plate in the Late Bronze Age grave suggests its symbolic placement as a substitute for an actual chariot. This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence indicating the use of chariots in different regions during the Bronze Age.

Artifacts Found in the Bronze Age Burial Mound

A translated statement from the researchers said that the charioteer's grave was found among the ones belonging to the Lugav culture dating back approximately 3,000 years. The burial consisted of an earthen mound covering a square stone tomb. Grave goods included a bronze knife, bronze jewelry, and the distinctive belt component.

Timoshchenko explained that the Lugav culture of the Bronze Age primarily engaged in cattle breeding. They were followed in the region by the Scythian people of the Tagar civilization about the seventh century B.C., during the Early Iron Age.

Recent excavations in the region uncovered graves from three distinct periods of the Bronze Age. The earliest graves date back to the 11th century B.C., during the transition period between the Karasuk and Lugav cultures.

The second phase, represented by the charioteer burial, corresponds to the Lugav culture itself. Lastly, the third phase, occurring after the eighth century B.C., belongs to the early Bainov stage of the Tagar culture.

https://www.sciencetimes.com/amp/articles/44942/20230719/3-000-year-old-grave-unknown-charioteer-unearthed-siberia-revealing.htm

Modificato 27 Luglio, 2023 da ARES III

[ARES III]