COMPLEX FORMS OF FUNERAL RITUAL AT BARBARIAN SITES IN THE CRIMEAN FOOTHILLS FROM THE 4th CENTURY BC – 3rd CENTURY AD

The article examines complex forms of funeral rites of the Scythian and late Scythian population of Crimea in the 4th century BC – 3rd century AD including those associated with the use of specially equipped stone crypts-ossuaries. The results of archaeological studies of the Kara-Tau burial grounds, the Chigirnik, Sary-Kaya and Tavel, and Opushki burial mounds are presented, which demonstrate the peculiarities of the funeral rites of the Crimea barbarian population in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. At the final stage of the funeral ceremony, the bone remains were transferred to stone burial structures, which were used repeatedly. The recorded two-stage funeral rituals suggest discussing the existence of special transition rites in this culture associated with polytheistic beliefs and the cult of ancestors.