Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 47 (3) 2019   DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.3.085-093

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The Bear Cult and Kurgans of the Scythian Elite

V.I. Gulyaev

Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dm. Ulyanova 19, Moscow, 117036, Russia

This study, based on artifacts from high-ranking kurgans of the northern Black Sea region (700-300 BC), addresses the understudied ursine motif in Scythian culture and its relevance for the ancient inhabitants of this region and of the adjacent territories. It is a widely held view that images of the brown bear had been borrowed from the Ananyino culture of the Kama. A variation of this motif is described and its chronology is assessed. Two principal iconographic versions are known in Scythian art—the animal is shown either en face (in the so-called sacrificial position), or drinking (in profile, with a bowed head). Such ursine representations occur most often on gold-plated ritual bowls and ornaments of the horse harness. Both the chronology and the distribution range of these artifacts disagree with the idea that the bear motif was borrowed from forest cultures. Rather, it appears to be inherently Scythian, having originated around 700 BC, together with other images of the animal style. Apparently, some form of the bear cult was practiced by the Scythian elite.

Keywords: Cult, bear, kurgan, Scythia, image, motif, worship