Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia
This article considers finds from the Scythian monuments of the North Black Sea area that can be connected to local jewelry production from the 7th century to the end of the 4th century BCE. I wish to draw attention to the problem of prolonged bias in this area of study. The prominence of the famous...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Arts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/151 |
| _version_ | 1797585516463390720 |
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| author | Oksana Lifantii |
| author_facet | Oksana Lifantii |
| author_sort | Oksana Lifantii |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article considers finds from the Scythian monuments of the North Black Sea area that can be connected to local jewelry production from the 7th century to the end of the 4th century BCE. I wish to draw attention to the problem of prolonged bias in this area of study. The prominence of the famous masterpieces by West Asian artisans (Lyta Mohyla and Kelermes Kurgans) and of the Greco-Scythian goldwork from the North Pontic kurgans (Chortomlyk, Solokha, Tovsta Mohyla, etc.) invited the view that the vast majority of the gold objects that the Scythians used during their lifetime and later took into their graves were imported rather than locally produced. Instead of trying to consider all artifacts that could potentially be Scythian-made, my goal in this article is to review the direct archaeological evidence of local jewelry production in the form of punches, matrices, and recorded cases of workshops at Scythian settlements. Gathering this evidence, as I will argue, gives us compelling insight into the high level of Scythian goldsmithing from the beginning of Scythian culture in the 7th century BCE and its improvement and adaptation of new techniques in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, probably in the context of intensified cultural exchanges between Scythians and Greeks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:08:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f3f4d9a38c441fe8636f925d5414d59 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:08:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f3f4d9a38c441fe8636f925d5414d592023-11-19T00:10:58ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522023-07-0112415110.3390/arts12040151Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in ScythiaOksana Lifantii0Department of Scientific-Research, Exposition Work and International Cooperation, Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, 01015 Kyiv, UkraineThis article considers finds from the Scythian monuments of the North Black Sea area that can be connected to local jewelry production from the 7th century to the end of the 4th century BCE. I wish to draw attention to the problem of prolonged bias in this area of study. The prominence of the famous masterpieces by West Asian artisans (Lyta Mohyla and Kelermes Kurgans) and of the Greco-Scythian goldwork from the North Pontic kurgans (Chortomlyk, Solokha, Tovsta Mohyla, etc.) invited the view that the vast majority of the gold objects that the Scythians used during their lifetime and later took into their graves were imported rather than locally produced. Instead of trying to consider all artifacts that could potentially be Scythian-made, my goal in this article is to review the direct archaeological evidence of local jewelry production in the form of punches, matrices, and recorded cases of workshops at Scythian settlements. Gathering this evidence, as I will argue, gives us compelling insight into the high level of Scythian goldsmithing from the beginning of Scythian culture in the 7th century BCE and its improvement and adaptation of new techniques in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, probably in the context of intensified cultural exchanges between Scythians and Greeks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/151North Pontic areaScythiansjewelry productiongoldsmithingGreco-Scythian artanimal style |
| spellingShingle | Oksana Lifantii Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia Arts North Pontic area Scythians jewelry production goldsmithing Greco-Scythian art animal style |
| title | Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia |
| title_full | Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia |
| title_fullStr | Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia |
| title_short | Looking at the Evidence of Local Jewelry Production in Scythia |
| title_sort | looking at the evidence of local jewelry production in scythia |
| topic | North Pontic area Scythians jewelry production goldsmithing Greco-Scythian art animal style |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/151 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT oksanalifantii lookingattheevidenceoflocaljewelryproductioninscythia |