The multiple grave of the early nomads from the Southern Urals with cremation traces: cultural and chronological interpretation and new approaches to the studies of the burial rite

This paper is the first to publish the materials related to the studies of the Early Iron Age grave from the Totsky III kurgan burial ground dating to the turn of the 5th and 4th century BC - first half of the 4th century BC. The site was excavated in the west of the Orenburg region. A distinctive feature of this site is that it contained a multiple burial complex. During the burial procedure a wooden structure was burned and, therefore, the remains of the buried individuals were cremated. The paper reviews the funerary rite and grave goods, with special attention paid to the analysis of the cremated human remains (both complete skeletons and isolated fragments).