A necropolis in the mountains of the Caucasus in Russia has been uncovered, and archaeologists discovered the grave of a male warrior "laid to rest with gold jewelry, iron chain mail and numerous weapons, including a 36-inch iron sword set between his legs." Although looters have previously taken some items from the site, the warrior's grave appears to have been untouched. He was buried with three horses, a cow and a wild boar.
Valentina Mordvintseva, a researcher at the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences Institute of Archaeology, said that the animal bones and pottery remains suggest that a funeral feast was held in his honor and that "these animals were particularly valuable among barbarian peoples of the ancient world. It was [a] sign of [the] great importance of the buried person." The grave is believed to be around 2,200 years old.
Two of the warrior's swords had gold decorations never seen in this part of the ancient world before, setting them apart "in a category all of their own, which has so far not been recorded anywhere else."
