North diggings.—Similar specimens of a probably recent pottery were found, together with flat, square, burnt bricks, near the foot of the hill, 2 and 3 feet below the surface in north digging r, which at that point is almost on the level of the plain. The other finds at this level, consisting of older and younger pottery, show that the soil here consists of surface wash. Unmixed deposits of the older culture begin only in deeper layers at about the level of — 4 feet ; the greater part being derived from the older culture, though now and then a younger monochrome fragment turns up. Consequently one can, without hesitation, refer to the older culture the traces of earth walls which were discovered in north diggings I and II, between — II and — 12 feet, as well as a mass of ashes that occurred at the northwest corner near these walls, at about 6 feet 5 inches under the lowest edge of digging II. The circumstances of the finds are important in connection with the discovery of a skeleton grave near this ash layer in north digging I, at — it feet. The skeleton was exceedingly well preserved and is one of the best specimens of the contracted or Liegender Hocker position, which throws such an interesting light upon the burial customs of the ancient inhabitants of the kurgan. The skeleton belongs to the older culture period, although its relation in time to the neighboring wall and ash layer can not be absolutely determined, since layers belonging to the younger period of the hill can not be found in these depths. Still deeper, between — 13 feet and —19 feet, there occurred numerous fragments of a pottery not found in the higher layers, which we will call group m. They are fragments of deep cups made from well-washed light-brown clay, burnt very hard, the clay being covered with a fine light-brown coating and this in turn with mat-black painting. The occurrence of pottery of such excellent technique at such a depth seemed strange at first, and claimed our special attention ; but in connection therewith it was even more important to find painted fragments of the group y still deeper, between — 20 feet and — 24 feet 5 inches, as this group has come to stand as a witness of the older culture of the kurgan in the deeper layers of the terraces and of the west digging. At — 24 feet 5 inches in north digging II the natural surface of the plain was reached.
South shaft.—Excepting one fragment of the red polished ware, which was found between — I and — 5 feet and which had evidently fallen from above, fragments of only the coarse and fine-painted older ware of group y were found in the south shaft in the layers between + 5 feet and — 7 feet. It is remarkable that here, in contrast with the conditions at the north diggings, the layer of surface wash and mixed pottery is missing. This difference is explained by the fact that the southern declivity is more exposed to the influences of weather, wind, rain, and sun than is the northern. The deformation of the hill must, therefore, have been more rapid and extensive here.
West shaft.—The shafts sunk at a distance of about 200 paces on the west of the hill show that the deeper culture-strata of the settlement had a wide extent, for here, at the level of —15 feet, a wall of air-dried brick was passed through. The pottery that was raised corresponded to that of the middle and lower layers of the kurgan and assigned the construction to the lower culture period.
IIIF Color HighRes
