The horse's outfit is elaborately decorated with gold-plated silver pendants, openwork pendants, and jingle bells, says Ruslan Dzatiati, a senior official at the North Ossetian Humanities Institute. Scholars believe that the horse was buried together with its owner to accompany his spirit to the afterworld. Mr. Dzatiati sees the find as a material proof of the existence of such a ritual.
As the Vesti.ru site reports, scholars have now found enough evidence to corroborate their hypothesis that the Alans lived in the area now known as North Ossetia in the 7th-9th centuries and that they maintained broad contacts with Europe and Asia. Among the most recently found artifacts, there is well-preserved pottery, jewelry, and weaponry, including ten sabers. Once restored and examined, the objects will join the collection of the Museum of Peoples of the Orient, in Moscow.
The current archeological season is coming to a close, but fieldwork here will last for years ahead. Scholars hope there are other valuable finds in store for them.
