October
07
/ 2026
A young horseman buried more than 2,000 years ago in southern Russia went to his grave with weapons, his horse and a gold coin tucked beneath his jaw. Beside him lay a modest grey drinking cup scratched with a pentagram — a mark his community trusted to protect the dead. Archaeologists studying the Maeotian necropolis of Vinogradny 1, near Krymsk in Krasnodar Krai, now say his burial sat at the center of a far larger ritual landscape. The find, reported by Arkeonews, opens a rare window on how status, protection and hopes for the afterlife came together in one warrior grave. The warrior and his horse, excavated in Burial 52 at Vinogradny 1. ( Abramzon et al., Russian Archaeology, 2026
