How to value a burial mound

It is hard to imagine finding burial mounds in Ukraine, which comes in the news because of its constant frictions and wars with Russia. What do we know about its history and its culture?

Until recently, farmers had little or no concern about what these 4,000-year-old mounds on their fields might contain, even when they came across a skeleton. Under Soviet rule, the mounds had to make way for farming land, and many sites were irreparably flattened. An estimated 100,000 such tumuli were erased forever, and the remaining ones are at risk from grave robbers. 

[The skeleton and gold jewelry of a Scythian noblewoman, dating to the 4th century BC, on display at the Museum of Historical Treasures in Kyiv, Ukraine 

[Credit: Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times]

Government archaeologists and developers obviously had opposite views about these mounds, and it seems that the Ukrainian people have little or no knowledge of their precious past history. The situation in neighboring Kazakhstan and southern Russia is not much different. 

Two years ago, a Ukrainian nongovernmental group came forward to preserve this Scythian heritage and founded a group called Guardians of the Mounds. They aim to protect as many of the remaining tumuli as possible from further destruction. Once the ground is flattened and the valuables inside have been removed, construction was allowed on top of them. Otherwise, they were left available for farming. 

The Guardians of the Mounds have their work cut out because the landscape is scattered with tumuli, which served as a burial ground for some noblemen and signaled that the area was home to many strong people. Of the nomadic warriors who occupied the land, the best known were the Scythians. They were buried with much of their prized possessions like golden jewelry and dishes. Besides, they were accompanied by their wives and horses.

It seems that many museums in Kyiv display a rich collection of gold artifacts, which unfortunately have been pulled out of their context. Experts from the Museum of Historical Treasures in Kyiv believe that the Guardians should lobby the government on zoning laws, which apparently are non-existent. The country’s construction plans appear to be unstoppable. Another danger may be that the mounds were still used for burials by the Communist Party and WWII heroes.

A typical example is the ongoing excavations at the site of Dnipro, which has been robbed repeatedly over the centuries. This tumulus goes back to a prehistoric Indo-Iranian culture but has been reused in the 4th century BC when another catacomb was built about five meters below the surface. Plundering the Scythian burial sites always was and still is a lucrative business. The most valuable artifacts are freely offered on online auction sites. 

Professional scholars should be allowed to study the past history of Ukraine, where registered archaeological monuments are already being destroyed and surrendered to private owners. Unfortunately, local authorities don’t intervene as they are eager to find precious grave goods and don’t pay attention to the historical and cultural value. 

Meanwhile, members of the Guardians of the Mounds have been rebuilding six tumuli in a field north of Kyiv that counts 18 graves in total. Their effort is praiseworthy but does not really replace the damage done. 

Tomb robbery is of all times, but in our 21st century, we might expect a little more respect and appreciation for a country’s rich cultural history and heritage.