Archaeologists came across an interesting find this week in the Poltava region of Ukraine. They uncovered the skeletal remains of a Sarmatian warrior woman in a burial mound in the area. Sarmatians were a Persian warrior clan of nomads who frequently traveled between the Caspian plains to the Ukrainian steppes after the Scythian state collapsed. The nomadic Sarmatian women were huntresses and warriors and frequently battled on horseback with their husbands and they are the ones ancient Greeks may have been referring to as the ‘Amazons’.
Sarmatian women were traditionally buried with more artifacts and items than their male counterparts and the formation of bones of some of the skeletons previously found in Ukraine, Russia, and just over the Kazakhstan border is indicative of life on horseback. Burial of Sarmatians started in the area around 400 B.C. The remains found in Poltava indicate that the woman was of some importance and possibly an influential figure in her day. She was buried with a large number of artifacts that included a dagger, iron scissors, bronze mirror, and silver broach. The skull was found with an iron awl in it although there has been no word whether or not this was the cause of death.
If you are into archaeology and enjoy visiting lesser known places, then you will want to visit Poltava in Ukraine. It is the site of a recent archaeological find of a Sarmatian warrior woman’s bones, a warrior nomadic tribe that traveled through this steppe area of Ukraine as early as 400 B.C. Nestled between Kharkov and Kyiv, Poltava is also known as the site of the 1709 battle between the Cossacks and Swedes under Mazepa and Charles XII against the army of Russian Czar Peter I. This battle proved that Russia was the dominant country in the area and eventually saw the Ukraine become part of the country as a whole.
The area is dotted with monuments and battlefields and some of the most interesting places to see include October Park, the Column of Glory, and Spassky Church, a unique outer structure that protects the older, wooden church that was built inside. There are also the archaeological digs within the city that includes a Paleolithic dwelling and other Scythian remains.
The city itself has some interesting architecture that reflects the different countries that once called it theirs. It has belonged to Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and, of course, Ukraine, and it was the main base of the Polk – or regiment – of the Ukrainian Cossacks.
You can get more information and see more photos as ukrainetrek.com
