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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

SKELETONS EXCAVATED IN NORTH KURGAN.   491

lay on its face, with the top of the cranium crushed in. The arm bones were jumbled together in an indistinguishable mass. The left leg was straight from the trunk, but the right knee was pulled up at an angle. Five vertebræ were found inside the skull. With the body I found two clay spin-whorls and two flint edges. Below was a layer of ashes and bits of charred wood over fire-hardened earth. (See fig. 543.)

Skeleton, No. 17.—The next burial was at the same level (— 8 feet) and, like the other, in the east gallery. As before, the bones were those of a child, but in

this case when they were laid bare they were found to be in the familiar contracted

position. The main axis was southwest and northeast. The body had lain on its left side with the right leg drawn up to a right angle with the main axis and

the left leg seemingly disturbed. The arms were bent to bring the two hands, one over the other, in front of the face, much as in the predynastic Egyptian burials. (See fig. 544.)

From the earth between the knees and the lower jaw I took 6 flat bean-shaped turquoise beads and two pierced snail shells (plate 4o, fig. 7). When the bones

were removed a layer of ashes and charcoal over fire-hardened earth came to light.

Skeleton No. z8.—The lowest of all the human remains which we found in the North Kurgan occurred in the north digging No. 1 at a depth of — 11 feet. As

usual the bones were immature and the position was contracted, with the main axis southwest and northeast. The body lay on its left side, with the hands in front of the face, and beneath it I found ashes and charcoal mixed with occasional bits of burnt bone. (See fig. 545.)

The results to be superficially gained from the human burials in the North Kurgan may be thus briefly summed up :

Out of 18 different remains laid bare, io were in the contracted position, 4 indeterminable, and 4 definitely not contracted. Of these all but 3 headed to

the southwest, with the trunk running northeast. These 3 varied to the southeast. Ten were found on hearths or layers of ashes topping burnt earth; 8 (6 of the lower culture and 2 above) were found with small objects in obvious connection with the burials, and 3 had not only hearths beneath them, but traces of bricks carefully placed in reference to the bodies.

These facts, taken in connection with the floors and walls found by Dr. Schmidt (see Dr. Schmidt 's report), seem to prove that the children (for we came upon

but two adults) were buried in or near the houses and often on hearths that were especially prepared for their reception, or, what seems more likely, the domestic hearths within or just outside the dwellings.

SOUTH KURGAN.

The burials which occurred in the South Kurgan were excavated in the same way we had attacked those in the north, that is, by carrying on the work around them till they were left isolated on pedestals at a convenient height, and then personally exposing them. Nine out of the io came to light in terrace B on the southern slope of the hill, and the altitudes at which they were found only included a range of 6.5 feet (+ 27 feet to + 20.5 feet).