Solokha is also a hamlet at 49.969°N 34.330°E.

The Solokha kurgan

Kurgan

Kurgan is the Turkic term for a tumulus; mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves, originating with its use in Soviet archaeology, now widely used for tumuli in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology....

is on the left bank of the Dnepr, 18 km from Velikaya Znamenka (opposite Nikopol). It has a height of 19 m and a diameter of about 100 m, dating to the early 4th century BC. It contained two royal Scythian tombs, the central tomb had been robbed already in antiquity, but still contained the remains of a female ruler and two horses in rich attire, while the side tomb was found intact by the 1912-1913 campaign by Russian archaeologist N. I. Veselovski. The tomb is notable because it confirmed the historicity of an account of Herodotus

Herodotus

Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...

.

The intact lateral tomb yielded spectacular treasures. It contained the remains of a male ruler, completely covered in gold. He had been buried with his weapon bearer, a servant and five horses. He was armed with bronze greaves, a bronze helmet, and a sword in a sheath covered with gold sheets and a quiver covered in silver containing 80 bronze arrowheads.
The most notable find in the grave, however, was a golden comb

Comb

A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...

 with an extremely detailed group of three fighting warriors worked in gold. The comb, as well as other finds, are part of the Hermitage Museum

Hermitage Museum

The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...

's holdings of Scythian art.

The site is in an area where according to Herodotus the "royal Scythians" buried their kings, the land of Gerrhos

Gerrhos

Gerrhos is a place in Scythia essential to interpreting Herodotus' world-map, for it formed one of the corners of the great square that defined Scythia. A more familiar Gerrhos or reed-swamp — from the Alexandrian point-of-view — lay to the east of the mouth of the Nile...

, corresponding approximately to the modern Zaporizhia Oblast

Zaporizhia Oblast

Zaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:...

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Literature

• Schiltz, Véronique, Kelermès et Solokha, Les Dossiers d'archéologie ISSN 1141-7137, no 259 (2000–2001), 20-23.

External links

• http://hermitage.informbureau.com/the_hermitage_-_the_department_of_prehistoric_culture.htm