Spectral Cavalcade: Early Iron Age Horse Sacrifice Unearthed in Southern Siberia

Excavations at the late 9th-century BC Tunnug 1 tomb in Tuva, Southern Siberia, revealed the remains of at least 18 horses and one human, arranged in a manner reminiscent of the sacrificial ‘spectral riders’ described by Herodotus in 5th-century BC Scythian funerary rituals. The discovery of horse tack further links the find to early Mongolian horse cultures. Radiocarbon dating confirms the tomb's age, placing these rituals at the dawn of the Scythian period. This challenges previous understandings of Scythian origins and highlights early cultural exchange across the Eurasian steppe.