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Sword with gold clad hilt

Creation period

4th century B.C.

Dimensions

70x7.5 cm

Technique

gold, iron, forging, embossing, stretching-over

Collection

Azov Museum-Reserve

Exhibition

Treasures of the Eurasian Nomads

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Sword with gold clad hilt

Scythians raised cattle and led a nomadic lifestyle. However, men were primarily warriors, so they were buried with weapons.

Archaeologists found this iron sword in a burial mound near Vesely village in Rostov Region, among armor and weapons, in 1986. The hilt decorated with gold featured an animal’s head. The weapon was attached to a leather sword-belt embroidered with thin bronze plates. Scabbards for such swords were made of wood and covered with leather.

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The set of armor and weapons buried in this sepulture in the 4th century B.C. gives us an idea of what the equipment of Scythian warriors was like, 2500 years ago. They wore leather belts that were plain or embroidered with thin bronze plates. The warrior’s body was protected by a leather armor set with metal plates.

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Sword hilt

Only rich cavalry warriors belonging to Scythian aristocracy had such solid defensive armaments. In the burial mound, archaeologists found about fifty bronze and iron arrows and some utensils, including a Scythian vessel and an elegant jug of wine made of red clay and decorated with solar symbols and vines motifs. Of three ritual wooden bowls, only gold plates were preserved.

For representatives of the military Scythian aristocracy, weapons had a special meaning, symbolizing their owner’s belonging to a particular estate. According to Herodotus chronicles, Scythians offered human sacrifices to their sword called akinaku.

Ancient objects made of gold are especially valuable because they retain their original appearance for many centuries. For example, the sword blade was assembled from many fragments and its tip was lost and reconstructed. The gold lining of the hilt was torn, but it was preserved and needed only mechanical cleaning.

Since 1991, the sword has been exhibited at many international exhibitions in Japan, France. It was shown in Paris, Toulouse and Krasnodar as part of the exhibition Gold of the Amazons, nomadic nations between Asia and Europe. 6th century B.C. to 4th century A.D. The leather harness belt embroidered with bronze plates was restored and first exhibited at the Azov Museum-Reserve in 2004. It is fastened on the base and cannot be moved outside of the museum.

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Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

Sword with gold clad hilt

Creation period

4th century B.C.

Dimensions

70x7.5 cm

Technique

gold, iron, forging, embossing, stretching-over

Collection

Azov Museum-Reserve

Exhibition

Treasures of the Eurasian Nomads

Point your smartphone camera to open in the app

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