Pages: 187-196

The biggest barrow cemetery in North Pontic Area is Mamay-Gora. It is situated on the edge of the left -bank plateau near the village Velyka Znamyanka (Zaporozhye Region). Twelve of 317 excavated Scythian tombs are thought to belong to so called Amazons. Size of the tombs and grave inventory suggest that majority of female warriors were ordinary inhabitants. It might be assumed that these females formed light armed cavalry. Excavations on Mamay-Gora cemetery yielded 110 male and 135 female burials. That is why it can be concluded that one in ten warriors was woman and one in eleven women had a weapon (that is to say, they were liable to military service).

Keywords : Amazons, funeral ceremony, Black Sea North Coast

Information about author: 

Elena Fialko (Kiev, Ukraine). Candidate of historical sciences. Archaeology Institute of Ukraine National Academy of Sciences.
Е-mail: [email protected]