The enigmatic item from kurgan 1 at the Novozavedennoe-III Scythian cemetery (preliminary report)

In 2018 the excavations of the grave of a Scythian warrior-aristocrat from the 4th century BC who was buried in the largest kurgan of the Novozavedennoe-III cemetery in the Stavropol region revealed an unusual ball-shaped monolithic item of white color with a rugged semispherical protrusion at the top lying in the center of a pile of beads, which has no parallels in other graves. A bracelet made of silver wire with gold plating and clumps of natrojarosite, a sintered yellow powder, broken down into different parts was placed over the item. The comprehensive scientific research found that this enigmatic item was made from crushed coarse-grained soft mineral known as gibbsite; when the item was shaped into a ball, it was coated with liquid gypsum, and then coated with a thin layer of calcium sulphate intentionally mixed with tin shavings. This sophisticated chain of technological operations produced a two-part ‘figurine' that was then placed into a leather bag decorated with faience beads which were sewn onto the bag with woolen yarn. It is inferred from the analysis that this unique item formed part of a set of goods relating to female offerings to the deceased person. The item was the central element of this ritual set and, possibly, was intended to represent either a woman who owned these goods or a woman in general.