Melitopol kurhan

Melitopol kurhan [Мелітопільський курган; Melitopilskyi kurhan]. Scythian royal burial mound from the 4th–3rd century BC near Melitopol, Zaporizhia oblast. It was excavated in 1954. Archeologists uncovered two biers containing the remains of a noble Scythian couple and a slave, as well as approx 4,000 artifacts. Included among the latter were gold and silver ornaments and military gear decorated with animal (eagles, lions, wild boars) or mythological (Athena, Achilles) motifs. Eleven amphorae and a bronze kettle were also found. The collection is now housed at the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine in Kyiv.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]