ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

On the basis of wide range of archaeological evidenceand ethnographic material the present article advances a historical-comparative analysis of the similarities in the funeral and memorial ceremonies of the North-Iranian peoples –Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans and Ossetians. The Scythian-Sarmatian burial traditions are characterized by making fires near graves, the use of coffins in the form of boat, dedicating horse to a woman. The same elements are recorded in the Ossetian ethnographic practice. The facts of the presence in Alan burials of iron adzes, hops, coal bedding also find parallels in the Ossetian traditional culture. The Ossetian folklore and the Narts sagas contain accounts for stone millstones of Alanian burial places and for unusual whetstone in Scythian graves. The analysis reveals a large number of archaeological and ethnographic parallels in the given field. The whole scope of data illustrates the actuality and feasibility of the comparative study of Scythian-Sarmatian-Alan archeological data and materials of Ossetian ethnography and folklore. Especially promising this direction of scientific research is for the reconstruction of the ideological representations of the ancient Iranians and the spiritual world of modern Ossetians in its retrospection.

Keywords: funeral and memorial rites, Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, Ossetians, archeology and ethnography of North-Iranian peoples.

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