Votive Hoard of the Late 3rd – Early 2nd Centuries BC in the Kurgan of the Belomechetskaya-1 Burial Ground of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic

In 2020, the expedition of OOO Kavkazgeoresurs discovered a votive hoard during excavations of kurgan 3 of the Belomechetskaya-1 burial ground in the steppe foothills in the north of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. The hoard was located in the southwestern sector of the kurgan and was a cluster of horse harness items: bits, cheekpieces, and attachments (at least 14 sets), as well as a spearhead and a buckle. Based on the combination of different types of cross-shaped bit attachments – with serrated protrusions at the ends and in the middle part of the crosspieces – the complex can be dated back to the late 3rd to early 2nd centuries BC. The ritual hoard from Belomechetskaya-1 is interesting primarily for its geographical location. In the Central Ciscaucasia, unlike the Don and Kuban regions, ritual hoards are very rare. The votive hoard from the Khankala hillfort II, similar in composition, was found on the territory of an inhabited settlement, which is completely uncharacteristic of ritual hoards. Finds of helmets and other items from Kurganinsk and the environs of Kislovodsk, most likely, have no relation to ritual hoards. Thus, the complex from Belomechetskaya-1 is the first ritual hoard of horse harness items and weapons for the Central Ciscaucasia – buried in the large kurgan, not associated with burials, containing several sets of horse bridles and a spearhead. The discovery of this complex allows us to assert that the Sarmatians of the Central Ciscaucasia also had a tradition of burying ritual hoards, although, apparently, on a smaller scale than in the steppe Kuban and Don regions.