The bracelet from the Astrakhan Museum Reserve collection was found in the ChYOrny YAr village in the Astrakhan region in 1970. It was made of a spiral wire. Its ends are transformed into the small bricks decorated with ram heads. It is not known whether the number of turns made any sense. Such bracelets were often worn by the Sarmatians on the forearm.
The Sarmatian things of the early period were often decorated with symbolical images of animals, both as single animals and multi-figurine compositions. Sometimes ancient craftsmen decorated objects only with the heads of animals, as our case is. Each animal had its own mystical interpretation that underlaid their portraying as meek, angry with rage or hunting. The ram was interpreted as ‘a symbol of heavenly grace’ in the Iranian myths. Also, there were ancient beliefs that the man soul set out to the afterlife by riding a ram. This is probably why this animal was so often depicted on ritual dishes.
The nomads actively traded with the ancient colonies of the Northern Black Sea region, which contributed to the wealth accumulation and social stratification. The wealthier Sarmatians had more sophisticated clothes; their jewelry were fine and elegant. The jewelry were often made from precious metals and stones, while ordinary nomads were content with plain materials such as bronze, glass and others. In the early Sarmatian period, women started wearing long dresses. Scientists understood the fact since archaeologists found rich beaded trims for hems and sleeves in the burials dated from the 4th century BC. Before that, women’s clothes was more or less the same as the men’s: the women rode horses and cared about own comfort. The women’s and men’s clothes items were especially similar among the SavromAtss and Sarmatians. Herodotus wrote that Sarmatian women ‘were hunting either with their husbands or alone, went to war and was wearing the same clothes as men.’
In 2005, the spiral bracelet and other valuable archaeological finds from the Astrakhan Museum Reserve collection were exhibited at the Astrakhan Steppe Treasures show at the National Museum of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome.
The Sarmatian things of the early period were often decorated with symbolical images of animals, both as single animals and multi-figurine compositions. Sometimes ancient craftsmen decorated objects only with the heads of animals, as our case is. Each animal had its own mystical interpretation that underlaid their portraying as meek, angry with rage or hunting. The ram was interpreted as ‘a symbol of heavenly grace’ in the Iranian myths. Also, there were ancient beliefs that the man soul set out to the afterlife by riding a ram. This is probably why this animal was so often depicted on ritual dishes.
The nomads actively traded with the ancient colonies of the Northern Black Sea region, which contributed to the wealth accumulation and social stratification. The wealthier Sarmatians had more sophisticated clothes; their jewelry were fine and elegant. The jewelry were often made from precious metals and stones, while ordinary nomads were content with plain materials such as bronze, glass and others. In the early Sarmatian period, women started wearing long dresses. Scientists understood the fact since archaeologists found rich beaded trims for hems and sleeves in the burials dated from the 4th century BC. Before that, women’s clothes was more or less the same as the men’s: the women rode horses and cared about own comfort. The women’s and men’s clothes items were especially similar among the SavromAtss and Sarmatians. Herodotus wrote that Sarmatian women ‘were hunting either with their husbands or alone, went to war and was wearing the same clothes as men.’
In 2005, the spiral bracelet and other valuable archaeological finds from the Astrakhan Museum Reserve collection were exhibited at the Astrakhan Steppe Treasures show at the National Museum of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome.
