Unique Late Scythian Necropolis Tells of Demise and Transition

Russian archaeologists have spent the last several months thoroughly exploring an ancient Scythian necropolis discovered in 2018 in southwestern Crimea, near Sevastopol. This Scythian necropolis, which has been dubbed Kiel-Dere 1, has been dated to the Late Scythian period (approximately 200 BC to 375 AD). This was the time when the last remnants of the once mighty Scythian culture were struggling to survive on the Crimean peninsula, where they’d retreated after suffering defeats at the hands of their rivals in the east. 

Dispatched to the site in September 2020 by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the archaeologists have been rushing to get their work finished, in anticipation of a highway construction project that is scheduled to pass through the area in the very near future. 

So far, approximately 75 percent of the large Scythian necropolis has been explored. Despite heavy looting that has disturbed much of the site, the archaeologists have been able to confirm that Kiel-Dere 1 was reserved as a burial ground for important and influential people.

An aerial view of the Scythian necropolis in the Crimea, which was determined to be an elite burial ground.         (Russian Institute of Archaeology RAS)