EXCAVATIONS AND FINDS AT THE NORTH KURGAN. IOI 
North diggings.—Similar specimens of a probably recent pottery were found, 
together with flat, square, burnt bricks, near the foot of the hill, 2 and 3 feet below 
the surface in north digging 1, which at that point is almost on the level of the 
plain. The other finds at this level, consisting of older and younger pottery, 
show that the soil here consists of surface wash. Unmixed deposits of the older 
culture begin only in deeper layers at about the level of —4 feet; the greater part 
being derived from the older culture, though now and then a younger monochrome 
fragment turns up. Consequently one can, without hesitation, refer to the older 
culture the traces of earth walls which were discovered in north diggings I and 0, 
between —11 and — 12 feet, as well as a mass of ashes that occurred at the north- 
west corner near these walls, at about 6 feet 5 inches under the lowest edge of 
digging 11. The circumstances of the finds are important in connection with 
the discovery of a skeleton grave near this ash layer in north digging 1, at —11 feet. 
The skeleton was exceedingly well preserved and is one of the best specimens 
of the contracted or Liegender Hocker position, which throws such an interesting 
light upon the burial customs of the ancient inhabitants of the kurgan. The 
skeleton belongs to the older culture period, although its relation in time to the 
neighboring wall and ash layer can not be absolutely determined, since layers 
belonging to the younger period of the hill can not be found in these depths. Still 
deeper, between —13 feet and —19 feet, there occurred numerous fragments 
of a pottery not found in the higher layers, which we will call group m. They are 
fragments of deep cups made from well-washed light-brown clay, burnt very hard, 
the clay being covered with a fine light-brown coating and this in turn with mat- 
black painting. The occurrence of pottery of such excellent technique at such 
a depth seemed strange at first, and claimed our special attention; but in connec- 
tion therewith it was even more important to find painted fragments of the group 
y still deeper, between — 20 feet and — 24 feet 5 inches, as this group has come to 
stand as a witness of the older culture of the kurgan in the deeper layers of the 
terraces and of the west digging. At-—. 24 feet 5 inches in north digging m the 
natural surface of the plain was reached. 
South shajt.—Excepting one fragment of the red polished ware, which was 
found between —1 and —5 feet and which had evidently fallen from above, 
fragments of only the coarse and fine-painted older ware of group y were found 
in the south shaft in the layers between +5 feet and —7 feet. It is remarkable 
that here, in contrast with the conditions at the north diggings, the layer of surface 
wash and mixed pottery is missing. This difference is explained by the fact that 
the southern declivity is more exposed to the influences of weather, wind, rain, 
and sun than is the northern. The deformation of the hill must, therefore, have 
been more rapid and extensive here. 
West shaft.—The shafts sunk at a distance of about 200 paces on the west of 
the hill show that the deeper culture-strata of the settlement had a wide extent, 
for here, at the level of —15 feet, a wall of air-dried brick was passed through. 
The pottery that was raised corresponded to that of the middle and lower layers 
of the kurgan and assigned the construction to the lower culture period. 
