Pages: 423-440 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp223423440

The article examines the relationship of the local population from the foothill zone of the North Caucasus on the territory of the western variant of the Koban cultural and historical region with the steppe nomads in the second half of the 6th — first half of the 5th centuries BC.
The authors analyzed the funerary ritual and inventory of four warrior graves from the Zayukovo-3 cemetery (Baksansky district, Kabardino-Balkaria) in which weapons were found, an object in the Scythian animal style (a bronze scabbard-end with an image of an elk), ceramic sets, jewelry sets, and came to the conclusion that the studied materials demonstrate a rather insignificant presence of steppe imports in warrior graves of the population that founded the necropolis.
However, the military items produced by local craftsmen manifested the embodiment of ideas that emerged from the steppe world.
In other aspects of material culture, the local population remained faithful to the traditions of the previous era, which partially changed over time, but retained their key features.

Keywords: North Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria, Baksan Gorge, Zayukovo-3 cemetery, Western Koban culture, Scythian period, funerary rites, weapons, Scythian animal style

Information about authors:

Anna Kadieva (Moscow, Russian Federation). State Historical Museum. Red Square, 1, Moscow, 109012, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-9759-077X
Sergey Demidenko (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dmitry Ulyanov St., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-6462-0132