In 1982, a set of gold and silver items was found in Mound 28 of Vysochino-VII burial ground in the Rostov Oblast. All the items were associated with ceremonies, which traditionally preceded the burial.

Among the ritual items, archeologists found a silver jug with a lid and a handle shaped as a seated predator — a hyena or a dog. Initially the vessel had two handles, but currently one of them is missing, so are the tail and ears of the preserved animal. Judging by the preserved traces, the tail and the ears were made separately and then soldered onto the figurine. The tail of the dog or the hyena imitated a rope — in its place an opening is preserved on the figurine. The handle inside is hollow, it is covered with gold foil on top. The jug is covered by a silver lid embellished with a 12-petal rosette.

The central place in the decoration of the vessel belongs to the multi-figured frieze. The images, which are arranged in two broad bands, are placed around the upper part of the silver jug. The images are engraved and gilded. The upper and lower edges of the frieze are decorated by wave-like ornament.

The bands are separated from each other by sketchily drawn triple-cascade pyramids. They are shaped as the sacred Iranian ornament under the notional name of ‘skittles’. It is likely that the jug was made in the workshops of the ancient state of Parthia in the territory of modern Iran.

The upper belt is divided into four sectors by the outlined images of plants. Between them, the ancient artist engraved two goats in heraldic positions. On their left-hand side, a great bustard and a little bustard are catching insects. On the right-hand side, there is another group of birds.