The opulent brooches, earrings, buckles, and cosmetics containers found in two crypts at the Almalyk-dere necropolis suggest the site was a burial ground for elite members of early medieval society.
Crimean Federal UniversityA collection of the jewelry discovered at the Almalyk-dere necropolis in Crimea.
Archaeologists excavating the Almalyk-dere necropolis in Crimea recently uncovered 1,600-year-old crypts filled with gold and silver jewelry. These artifacts are now offering a rare glimpse into life in the region during the early medieval period.
The graves likely belonged to wealthy — or even noble — women who died between the fourth and sixth centuries C.E. Researchers have long suspected that the necropolis was no ordinary burial ground, and this brilliant jewelry seems to confirm their hypothesis that only society’s elites were laid to rest at the site.
What Is The Almalyk-Dere Necropolis?
Excavations on the Mangup plateau, where the necropolis is located, began in the 19th century. Over the centuries, archaeologists and looters alike have unearthed countless treasures at the site. Despite this, researchers are still making discoveries that shed new light on the area’s history.
There is evidence that the region was home to various settlements as early as 5,000 years ago. In 488 C.E., when Theodoric the Great led the Ostrogoths into Italy, the people who didn’t want to follow him stayed behind and became the Crimean Goths. They established the Christian principality of Gothia.
Public DomainCrimea’s Mangup plateau, where the necropolis is located.
Although much of the area has been studied in the past, researchers from V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University and the Russian Academy of Sciences set out to uncover additional information about the necropolis atop Mangup plateau. “We worked on sites that had not been previously archaeologically studied,” said archaeologist Valery Naumenko in a statement released by Crimean Federal University, “and it turned out that there were burial complexes of different periods: both from the initial stage of the necropolis’s functioning… and from a later time.”
“As usual,” Naumenko continued, “this burial ground presented surprises.”
The Almalyk-dere necropolis is the largest early medieval burial ground in the area, and experts have long suspected it was created for society’s elites. “It is no coincidence that the literature has developed the belief that this is not a necropolis for the ordinary population,” said Naumenko. Now, the artifacts archaeologists have uncovered at the site lend credence to their hypothesis.
Archaeologists Find 1,600-Year-Old Gold And Silver Jewelry In Crimea
During their excavations, researchers uncovered two underground crypts that hadn’t yet been touched by archaeologists or looters. They were built between the fourth and sixth centuries C.E., and they held a trove of medieval artifacts, including gold and silver jewelry.
Brooches, earrings, buckles from belts and shoes, and gold foil jewelry made to be sewn to clothing collars were found within the crypts. One of the graves also held a “pyxis,” or an animal horn container that held powdered cosmetics, such as blush.
Crimean Federal UniversityEarrings made from gold and either garnets or carnelians.
The earrings were made of gold and inlaid with red gems, possibly garnets or carnelians. They were likely imported from another country. However, some of the brooches — which were cast in silver and then covered in gold leaf — were seemingly crafted in Crimea.
The opulence of these items suggests that the crypts held the remains of “rich women.” They may have even been nobles.
This supports the theory that the Almalyk-dere necropolis wasn’t a cemetery for common people but rather a burial ground for wealthy and aristocratic members of Crimea’s medieval society. Further excavations at the site promise to reveal even more about the true nature of its history.
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