Комплексное изучение органического содержимого курильниц из скифских погребений III—II вв. до н. э. на левобережье Нижнего Днестра
Comprehensive Study of the Organic Content of the Incense Cups from Scythian Burials of the 3rd—2nd Centuries BC on the Left Bank of the Lower Dniester

Summary/Abstract: The study of the organic contents of eleven incense cups from Scythian burials of the 3rd —2nd centuries BC on the left bank of the Lower Dniester enabled the determination of the composition of fuel and plants used for ritual burning. Carbonized macroremains, besides five woody species (juniper, willow, ash, oak, elm), in three of the incense cups are represented by seeds of herbaceous plants — bare-grained wheat, barley, strawberry, and coriander. Herbivorous animal dung was recorded in one of the incense cups, but its use (according to fatty-acid and spore-pollen analyses) can be evidenced in three other incense cups. Among the few plant microremains, charred Lamiaceae and cereal pollen are of the most significant interest. Pollen grains of the latter, unlike macroremains, are present in all studied incense cups. It is most likely that the choice of woody species and herbaceous plants was related to the cult values of these taxa among the Scythians.

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