evidence: Archaeologists have uncovered evidence for sacrificial funerary rituals at the Early Iron Age burial mound of Tunnug 1 in Tuva, Siberia, indicating that the horse-riding Scythian culture, best-known from Eastern Europe, originated far to the east. [...] The presence of "Scythian-style" burials as far east as Tuva suggests the origins of Scythian culture, which have so long been mired in obscurity, lie on the other side of the Eurasian steppe, highlighting the mobility of early horse-cultures. [...] "The evidence from Tunnug 1 solidifies the crucial role Tuva plays in Eurasian prehistory," Dr. Caspari concludes. "Our findings highlight the importance of Inner Asia in the development of transcontinental cultural connections. The findings also suggest that these funerary practices played a role in the broader process of cultural and political transformation across Eurasia, contributing to the emergence of later pastoralist empires."