Scythians was the name used by ancient Greek
writers to describe the various nomadic tribes of
southeastern Europe and Asia who dwelled north
of the Black Sea, between the Carpathian
Mountains and the Don River, in what is now
Moldova, Ukraine, and western Russia. The name
was also more generally applied to all the nomad
tribes who inhabited the steppes eastward from
what is now Hungary to the mountains of
Turkistan. Scythians kept herds of horses, cattle,
and sheep, lived in tent-covered wagons, and
fought with bows and arrows on horseback. They
developed a rich culture characterized by opulent
tombs, fine metalwork, and a brilliant art style.
The excavations of royal burial sites have provided
the most complete record of the jewelry of the
Scythians. Typical art objects were in the form of
stags or other animals, hammered or stamped out
of gold and often inlaid with colored stones or
glass. Through their trading contacts with settled
peoples to the south, they obtained a great deal of
gold that was elaborately worked into small and
large ornaments and personal objects such as
drinking bowls and daggers. This gold bracelet is
one such example that attests to the Scythians
mastery of metalworking. The sloping curve of the
bracelet ends with two finely crafted leopard
heads. Snarling and growling, mouth agape and
ferocious fangs exposed, these cats are clearly not
pets but wild beasts. The heads are joined to the
bracelet by bands decorated by a series of leaves.
The sheer elegance of this gold bracelet would
most likely have been reserved specifically for a
king or noble.
- (FJ.6596)
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