Steppe Scythian Sites of the 7th—3rd Centuries BC in the Northern Black Sea Area (on the classification of funerary structures)

The 7th to 3rd century BC funeral and funerary rites of the steppe Scythian population was a major focus of V.S. Olkhovsky’s work. He studied the Scythian sites in the region, which covers the southern part of Herodotus’ “Scythian square,” including the Crimean Peninsula, the Taurica mountains, and the Cimmerian Bosporus. Olkhovsky provided a chronology and classification of burial structures based on 1,857 burials, reflecting their most significant features and aiming to be universal. The number of discovered and excavated burials has since increased to over 5,000, allowing for comparison of Olkhovsky’s studies with subsequent research. The new data on the chronology and design of burial structures and on the elements of the funerary rite did not contradict Olkhovsky’s classification but expanded it, confirming its universal nature.