Discovered Once Again

Interpretation of Flint Artefacts from Funerary Constructions of the Late Scythian Culture

Abstract

Funerary constructions of the Late Scythian culture contain, among others, flint artefacts untypical for this period. Their locations, in the skeleton’s area, indicate that they were deposited intentionally in graves. On the basis of publications, archival documentation, and museum collections, an analysis was conducted. It has revealed that the flints discovered in the Late Scythian tombs had played an important role in the everyday life of the population. Flint was used particularly for making tools (strike-a-lights) and jewellery, occupying an important position in the material culture. The analysed flint artefacts were also associated with the sphere of spirituality. Layers of flints (found in graves), on which the dead were laid, or which covered them, indicate that this raw material was used for ritual practices that most probably were associated with the cult of fire.