a group of archaeological remains dating from the Bronze Age, the early Iron Age, and the late Middle Ages, located near the settlement of Chmi on the left bank of the Terek River, 22 km south of the city of Ordzhonikidze. Among the finds was a large burial ground from the sixth to ninth centuries belonging to the ancestors of the Ossetians—the Alani. The site was excavated beginning in 1882 by various archaeologists, including D. Ia. Samokvasov. The catacomb burials yielded weapons (swords, axes, arrows, and chain mails), gold, silver, and bronze ornaments, Byzantine and Arabic coins, beads, and clay and glass vessels. The burial inventory at Chmi is similar to that of other Alani burial grounds (seeSALTOVO-MAIATSKOE CULTURE) and reflects the process of social differentiation among the Alani.