New Research on the Beslan Kurgan Catacomb Burial Mound

Abstract

This article publishes the results of archaeological excavations of five kurgans discovered using geophysical methods at the Beslan kurgan catacomb burial ground in the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania. Smallscale excavations in different parts of the vast Beslan necropolis make it possible to draw some conclusions. Firstly, the development of the necropolis proceeded in the east direction from the Zilgi settlement. Traces of an unfortified settlement were revealed 230 m from the eastern outskirts of the settlement which was identified by presence of several household pits. In this study, the eastern boundary of the settlement of Zilgi has demonstrably been traced at the time of its maximum expansion most likely dating back to the 3rd century AD. A total of 5 kurgans surrounded by small ditches and containing 6 burials were excavated. The earliest is the kurgan 878, which can be broadly dated back to the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD in terms of its construction design of the funerary structure. The kurgans 874 and 875 located on the eastern periphery of the necropolis can be dated back to the second or third quarter of the 4th century AD according to the characteristics of the strap set and obviously they reflect a period of maximum expansion of the burial area. In the second half of the 6th century AD, burials again occurred in the part of the necropolis adjacent to the fortress, as evidence by the kurgans 876 and 877 containing objects of that time. It is most likely that the population abandoned Zilgi fortified settlement in the 7th century AD, which is confirmed by both the known finds from the cultural layer of the monument, and the materials from the burial mounds published in this work. The reasons for this phenomenon have yet to be established; for the time being, it can be suggested that it might be connected both with environmental changes and with the military and political situation in the North-Eastern Caucasus at that time.