Children's graves at the Chayka settlement in the Northwestern Crimea

Five children's burials in an amphora (Fig. 1), in stone cists (Fig. 4: a, b) and in small pits lined with stones (Fig. 2: a, b; Fig. 3) were discovered at the Chayka settlement in the northwestern Crimea. All graves located near the walls of buildings from this Late Scythian settlement of the 1st century BC - 1st century AD were made under the floor of the rooms. The graves had no funerary offerings. Children's graves at settlements were made in Greece since the Bronze Age. This tradition was particularly evident at the settlements in the Crimea and the Dnieper region in the period from the 2nd century BC to the 3rd century AD. Such graves found at the Crimean settlements are varied chronologically; however, they share many common features such as location near the walls of the buildings under the floor boards, absence of funerary offerings, burials in vessels and small pits. Sometimes graves with funerary offerings also occur. The main issue is their semantic interpretation. The materials examined demonstrate a need of follow-up analysis, which will derive valid conclusions. The available materials are quite representative for systematization of such sites, in particular, Late Scythian settlements.