Abstract
The population of the Crimean submountain area of the Late Roman Period created the archaeological culture proposed to be called the Neyzats culture. It developed throughout the second to fourth centuries AD. In regard to archaeology, this culture comprised only cemeteries. Ca. AD 300 it featured signifi cant changes in funeral rites and grave goods. Glass vessels showing incised geometric patterns or polished and applied ovals, bone combs, amber mushroom-shaped pendants, and all or a part of wheel-made grey-clay vessels came to the Crimea from the Chernyakhov culture area. Burial vaults with a short corridor to the funeral chamber appeared in the Crimea in result of the migration from the North Caucasus, which was larger than the previous one. Swords of the type Khazanov-5 possibly appeared in the Crimea when the short-corridor vaults were widely distributed. Both in the Crimea and Caucasus, such swords were placed on the head or shoulders of the dead. There are a few parallel forms of handmade vessels in the North Caucasus and the Crimea. There were other changes not explainable by direct outside infl uences. Among them the most important were: rejection of embroidering cloths with beads, big number of ceramic vessels, eggs as funeral food, many weapons in graves, disappearance of mirrors, jewelry boxes, and small bells from the grave goods. Generally, it is possible to infer that ca. AD 300 or in the early-fourth century AD the population of the Crimean submountain area sustained important social changes, which possibly were caused by an important migration wave from the east, i. e. from the North Caucasus. The result was the transformation of funeral rites and the strengthening of contacts with the areas located to the east and north-west of the Crimea.
Keywords
Crimea, Late Roman Period, Neyzats culture, cemeteries, funeral rites, grave goods, migrations.
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