ELEMENTS OF PRIESTESS FUNERAL DRESS FROM FILIPPOVKA I BURIEL GROUND: MATERIALS TO RECONSTRUCTION

Abstract

An analysis of materials obtained during excavations of female burial 2 at barrow 1 of Filippovka 1 burial mound allowed to discover a series of items related to the costume of the buried and supplementary adornments. The analyzed design, arrangement, location and relative positions of various decorative elements adorning the funeral wear allowed to reconstruct the following clothing articles: a shawl or long sheet, a headband, a cloak or cape, and a dress. A review of publications on reconstruction of early nomad costumes revealed the probable discovery of an ankle-length shirt. The performed reconstructions indicate that the buried is a woman of a high social standing. The characteristic feature of the funeral costume’s adornments is the organic combination of ancient Iranian toreutics and Scythian-Siberian animal style. The presence of characteristic headwear in the clothing suggests that the deceased woman was not an indigenous Sarmatian, but rather belonged to the Persian tribes of ancient Iran.