Mokryy IV Burial Mound

• Main Authors: Roman V. Prokofyev, Tatyana E. Prokofyeva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Volgograd State University 2017-06-01
• Series: Нижневолжский археологический вестник
• Subjects: the lower don; eneolithic; late pit-grave (yamnaya) culture; katakombnaya culture; babino culture; srubnaya culture; early iron age; medieval oguz nomads
• Online Access: https://nav.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/component/attachments/download/62

The article is devoted to the publication of the excavation materials from the Mokryy IV burial mound, which is located on the right bank of the Lower Don. The barrow, which consists of two barrows, is situated between the Kadamovka and the Kertchik rivers at the top of the watershed of the Sukhaya and Mokraya hollows. The archaeological site was discovered by B.A. Raev in 1983. Barrow 2 was excavated by Yuzharkheologiya expedition in 2011. It consisted of a single robbed nomad medieval burial, surrounded by a circular ditch. Barrow 1 was explored by Rostov archaeological expedition group under our guidance in 2014. Four successive earthfillswere fixated in the incisions of barrow 18, dated back to different periods, were explored. The earliest pre-barrow burials belongs to Eneolithic Era. The erection of the earthfill of the barrow is connected with the burial of late Pit-Grave (Yamnaya) – early Katakombnaya culture, which had almost been destroyed by later Katakombnaya burial and robbers of Modern Age. Next two earthfills are connected with the burials of Katakombnaya culture. There are 5 of them in the barrow in total. The last earthfill of the barrow was made at the turn of the middle-late Bronze Age for a burial of Babino culture. At least 6 burials of Srubnaya culture were made in the barrow in the late Bronze Age. And two more burials date back to early Iron Age. At the last stage 2 medieval oguz nomad burials were made in the barrow. The implements of the most burials are represented by various handmade jars. Few pieces of weapons, tacks and garment elements were found in the medieval burials.