The Greek writer Herodotus visited the Scythians and described what they did when a king died. After digging a large, square grave,
"they take the king's corpse and having opened the belly, and cleaned out the inside, fill the cavity with a preparation of chopped cypress, frankincense, parsley-seed, and anise-seed, after which they sew up the opening, enclose the body in wax, and placing it on a wagon, carry it about through all the different tribes.
On seeing the body, every man in the tribe had to sever a piece of his ear, cut his hair short, make a cut all the way around his arm, make a hole in his forehead and nose, and finally, as if this weren't enough, drive an arrow completely through his left hand.
After the king's body was shown to each tribe, it was taken to Gerrhi, the most remote area of the Scythian territory, and buried. At that time, his servants were killed, usually by strangulation. Then earth was thrown into the grave and a tall mound was built.
But the most important part of the ceremony took place a year later. Fifty of the dead king's best attendants were strangled along with fifty of the king's most beautiful horses. Then their internal organs were removed and their abdomens were filled with chaff and sewn shut.
Next the Scythians dug a large circular grave around the king's burial mound. Each horse was placed in the grave, staked down so that it looked as if it were galloping. Onto each horse a strangled and mummified attendant was placed - with a large stake driven down the spinal cord and through the horse. Then all were covered with earth - a ring of mummified horses with mummified riders encircling the grave of the beloved king."
People of an elite status within Scythian culture were buried within a Kurgan; a mound of earth or stone that featured many chambers or rooms that served as a tomb for upper class people. Many kurgans also house many of the deceased personal and treasured belongings, such as treasures and even horses and servants.
The preservation of the mummies is mostly attributed to the cold climate and wooden tombs in which the mummies where laid to rest.
"they take the king's corpse and having opened the belly, and cleaned out the inside, fill the cavity with a preparation of chopped cypress, frankincense, parsley-seed, and anise-seed, after which they sew up the opening, enclose the body in wax, and placing it on a wagon, carry it about through all the different tribes.
On seeing the body, every man in the tribe had to sever a piece of his ear, cut his hair short, make a cut all the way around his arm, make a hole in his forehead and nose, and finally, as if this weren't enough, drive an arrow completely through his left hand.
After the king's body was shown to each tribe, it was taken to Gerrhi, the most remote area of the Scythian territory, and buried. At that time, his servants were killed, usually by strangulation. Then earth was thrown into the grave and a tall mound was built.
But the most important part of the ceremony took place a year later. Fifty of the dead king's best attendants were strangled along with fifty of the king's most beautiful horses. Then their internal organs were removed and their abdomens were filled with chaff and sewn shut.
Next the Scythians dug a large circular grave around the king's burial mound. Each horse was placed in the grave, staked down so that it looked as if it were galloping. Onto each horse a strangled and mummified attendant was placed - with a large stake driven down the spinal cord and through the horse. Then all were covered with earth - a ring of mummified horses with mummified riders encircling the grave of the beloved king."
People of an elite status within Scythian culture were buried within a Kurgan; a mound of earth or stone that featured many chambers or rooms that served as a tomb for upper class people. Many kurgans also house many of the deceased personal and treasured belongings, such as treasures and even horses and servants.
The preservation of the mummies is mostly attributed to the cold climate and wooden tombs in which the mummies where laid to rest.