salve,
Skudra/Skuda/Saka/Scythians or North Iranian nomads of the ancient Eurasian steppes are, as you the visitors to my blog know, some of my favorite subjects.
I want to share with you the academia.edu page of prof. Mikhail Treister, where you can read or download this fine scholar articles on the ancient nomads and their world.
Mikhail Treister's
page
I did copy a figure of a wounded rider and a galloping mount from the golden
scabbard found in the famous
Chertomlyk kurgan, dated to the middle of the IV century B.C., as it represents the Scytho-Greek art. The kurgan's contents are famous, especially the silver, egg-shaped, amphora with the scenes of Scythians gentling the horses - one day I will turn to these as well.
Russian book on the very kurgan
Чертомлык (Скифский царский курган IV в. до н.э.). (Chertomlyk, the Scythian Royal Barrow/Kurgan IV century B.C.)
Some artefacts from Chertomlyk -
numbered 89-120 especially interesting the the
whetstone with a golden handle, most likely suspended from the 'arming' belt (where the sword or swords and combination quiver-bow case known as gorytos were also hung).
Scholar Esther Jacobson writes (p. 246):'' there is a general understanding that the narrative [...] may refer to the Trojan War, in which participated a variety of non-Greek peoples, or to a battle between the Greeks and the Persians, or even between Greeks and Amazons. It is also possible that the narrative is intended to represent a generic battle, between Greeks and non-Greeks'' (E. Jacobson, The Art of the Scythians, New York 1995)
This dramatic figure, situated of the very end of the scabbard, consists of a wounded warrior falling of the galloping horse still grabbing at the reins, and it clearly shows some tack: the bridle, reins, bit, breastplate and saddle.
I did not copy the crested helmet below the horse's head. The horse's mane is shorn, with several strains of longer hair near the pommel of his saddle in a typical Eurasian fashion, while his tail is not tied nor braided in more of the steppe fashion, perhaps reflecting the Greek artist's concept.
Article by prof. A.N. Shcheglov about this barrow and its treasures.
Review of a book -''The Gold and Power - Scythian weaponry and Greek Myths.''
Enjoy
ps
I should bring more of these ancient images in the future.
