Gold and silver vessels found in this burial mound are of particular interest. One of them is decorated with chased representations of a landscape, both seen from land level and a bird’s-eye view. The mound also contained copper and stone tools and flint arrow.
Figure of a Bull
North Caucasus, Maikop Burial Mound
3rd millennium BC
Gold
H 6 cm
Koban and Colchaian Cultures- Between the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, in the early 1st millennium BC, two similar cultures, Koban and Colchaian, arose in the Caucasus. Remarkable bronzesmiths produced a range of objects which are now well represented in the Hermitage. This large collection of bronzes shows just how magnificently metalwork flourished in the Caucasus during the Prehistoric era.
The nucleus of the Koban collection is formed of articles discovered in 1869 in a burial mound in Northern Ossetia, in the aul or village of Koban. These include battle-axes, daggers, decorative items and other objects, astonishing in the diversity of their shapes, their faultless workmanship, elegant contours and remarkable sculptural qualities. Later, further sites were uncovered in the central Caucasus which provided more evidence of what is now referred to as the Koban Culture. Koban articles are diverse, but the most typical are bronze items of the 11th to 4th centuries BC.
Most objects are covered with engraved or chased representations of animals. There are anthropomorphic figurines and animal figurines of three-dimensional design. Generalization and spontaneity and some degree of realism are typical of Koban objects, and many of them look astonishingly dynamic. Divine powers were thought to be embodied in animals, thus animal images and figurines assumed the role of protective amulets, and their use became widespread. Persons wearing such amulets were thought to possess the traits of the animal depicted, such as strength, agility and astuteness.
Anthropomorphic representations show that the theme of man was very important in the art of ancient peoples of the Caucasus. Most figurines are nude males with emphasized genitalia, embodying power, abundance, and sometimes depicting the god of fertility or god of war.
The Colchaian culture, very close to the Koban in terms of the production of bronze objects, appeared in the western Caucasus somewhat earlier than the Koban culture. Splendid Colchaian articles have been found, for example, at Bamborskaya Polyana in Abkhazia.
Horse and Sun Chariot
Trundholm, Zealand, Denmark
1800-1600 BCE Bronze (Length 23 1/4 inches)
National Museum, Copenhagen
The Scythians- The Hermitage collection of Scythian antiquities is renowned worldwide, its nucleus consisting of finds from burial complexes in the Crimea, Kuban basin and in the valleys of the Dnieper and Don rivers.
According to Scythian tradition, alongside a dead chief the tribe buried his wives, servants, armor-bearers, grooms and horses, and these burials thus contain numerous artifacts, from weapons and harness to everyday objects and a multiplicity of personal adornments.
Most valuable of all is the ‘Scythian Gold’, often lavishly decorated with precious stones. Two gold shield emblems in the forms of a panther and stag – the Kelermes Panther and the Kostromsky Stag (from burial mounds in the Kuban area, 7th century BC) – are true masterpieces, which have come to symbolize the achievements of Scythian craftsmen. These two animals were hugely popular during the Scythian era and appear on many objects.
No less remarkable are the articles from the burial mounds of Scythian chiefs (5th to 4th centuries BC), executed in the Graeco-Scythian style and decorated with scenes from a Scythian heroic epic: the gold comb from the Solokha burial mound; gold and silver vessels from the Kul-Oba and Chastye barrows; a silver amphora bearing relief representations of scenes from Scythian life (Chertomlyk burial mound). The detailed images on these pieces make it possible for us to picture the appearance of the Scythians, their clothes and weapons.
Rich tombs beneath tumuli and ancient settlements in the area of the forested steppes, inhabited by the tribes subject to the Scythians, have also yielded hand-made clay vessels, farming tools, utensils, arms and armor and objects associated with the working of bronze and iron, both imported and of local production.
Bridle Ornament
4th century BC
Gold
H 41.4 cm
Dnieper valle
Bolshaya Tsimbalka burial mound
This is a typical example of Scythian horse harness decoration. It bears the depiction of a mythological figure - a goddess, half-virgin and half-serpent, from whose alliance with the legendary hero Targitai the Scythians were believed to be descended. The figure, depicted by an artist from the neighboring Greek colonies, is dressed in Hellenistic style and wears upon her head a calathos (part of a priestess's headdress ) topped with a palmette.
Bronze Plaque
4th century BC
Bronze
L 11.5 cm
Krasnodar region, Kuban area
During the 4th-century BC traditional Scythian art began to change and take on an increasingly ornamental character. This piece is typical of the period, showing the animal figures flattened and schematized, relief replaced by engraving, and revealing a new openwork style.
The plaque is in the form of a griffin, a winged lion which was often depicted with an eagle's head and mammal's ears. Adopted from oriental mythology but interpreted in a new way, this was perhaps the Scythians' favorite fabulous creature.
Early Nomads of the Altaic Region- This rich and fascinating collection from the Altai mountains dates to the Scythian-Sakae period (6th–4th centuries BC) and embraces over 5,000 items. At its heart lie the unique articles found during excavation of the burial mounds of Pazyryk in the Eastern part of the High Altai, at a height of 1,600 meters above sea level.
Large Altaic burial mounds were intended for those who occupied high positions in early nomadic society, such as chiefs, elders and priests. According to custom, the chief’s wife or concubine was also buried with him and all the dead bodies were embalmed. Deep graves were hollowed out for the burial, and many objects considered both precious and necessary were interred along with the bodies.
Local climactic conditions proved to be ideal for the preservation of these tombs, as water and moisture gradually seeped down between the stones and turned to ice in the winter, never thawing during the summer, thus freezing and preserving items of wood, felt, leather, fur, silk and other perishable materials. Sadly, nearly all the graves had already fallen victim to tomb robbers in the past and items of precious materials such as gold had mostly been stolen before scholars had a chance to study them.
Of great interest is the body of the chief from Burial Mound No. 2 at Pazyryk. His body was almost completely covered with tattoos, the main motifs being fabulous animals - for these people were hunters. Horses (from 5 to 22) with lavish harness were also usual features in such tumuli.
The tombs have produced a rich selection of clothing, footwear, domestic objects and harness, nearly all with elements of decoration in gold, silver, wood, horn, leather and fur in various styles including the famous Scythian-Siberian animal style. Ancient artists depicted beasts of prey, herbivorous and fabulous animals. There are representations of animal heads or isolated figures of running, lying or standing animals, and scenes of fighting, dramatic, dynamic and full of inner strength. The figures represented in the fighting scenes are typical of the art of Western Asia and of Graeco-Scythian art.
The ancient Altai nomads maintained cultural and trading links with the peoples of Central Asia and the Near East, and thus Chinese mirrors and silk, not to mention woolen textiles from Iraq, have all been found in the burial mounds. Mention must be made of the world’s most ancient pile carpet, and of another carpet made in the appliqué technique and measuring 30 meters square. A rare find, effectively displayed in these rooms, is the large wooden funerary chariot (h 3 m, diam of wheels 1,5 m).
Deer (terminal)
Eastern Altai, Pazyryk Burial Mound 2
5th century BC
Wood, leather
H 11.5 cm
This sculpted figure of a deer is set on a globe-shaped base. The head of the animal is crowned with large branched antlers cut out of leather. The antlers were originally gilded. Iron rods at the bottom of the base suggest that the figure would once have been attached to another structure, probably to some head-dress.
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