The kurgan “Sadovy”, located on the site of the modern city of Novocherkassk, was discovered in 1962. During excavations, a burial chamber was discovered beneath the mound that had been looted a very long time ago. However, several items have survived. These include a silver louterion, a vessel for ablutions, as well as parts of horse harnesses, gold plaques, and silver bowls.

Silver bowls are characteristic of late Hellenistic art and may have been produced in the Mediterranean region.

Sicily was one such center of silverware production. Researchers also note works of artisans from Alexandria and Asia Minor. The medallions that adorned these products were particularly valuable and unique.

The Roman historian, Marcus Tullius Cicero, mentioned in one of his speeches that the magistrate of Sicily, Gaius Verres, was fond of stealing medallions. In his book “Modern Passion for Ancient Treasures”, the writer Stanislav Ivanovich Averkov writes,

The bowl, which is part of the museum’s collection, is hemispherical in shape. On the inner surface, there is a pattern of stamped feathers. In the center of the bowl, there is a medallion with a two-tiered rim. The medallion depicts a scene of grape harvesting. The image features two vines, with large bunches hanging from them, and baskets on the floor. Silenus, a companion of the god of wine-making, climbs onto a larger vine that twists around the trunk of a tree. He is portrayed naked and with a beard. Next to the vine, there is another figure, also naked. Silenus puts a basket onto the grape picker’s head. All images on the medallion are in high relief.