Scythian treasures preserved by Ukraine

Hello, I'm Dr. Oksana Lefanty, leading researcher of the treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine and also the curator of the exhibition Saved in Ukraine. And today I want to invite you to the short tour around this exhibition. We are recording this video in January 2023, but almost a year ago Russian Federation started full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And because of it and possible damage for our exhibits, all permanent exposition of the treasury was packed and evacuated to a safer place. And only sometimes later when Ukrainian armed forces managed to protect Kiev and managed to make it more safe, our museum decided to open a temporary exhibition. The exhibition Saved in Ukraine was dedicated to the Ukrainian Independence Day and was opened on 24th of August. The treasury has the biggest Scythian and Greco-Scythian jewellery art collection in the world. So we decided to present these masterpieces along with Greek art pieces at this exhibition. All of them are dated from 7th to 3rd centuries BCE, or before the current era. And all of them were found on the territory of modern Ukraine. So they are an integral part of the cultural heritage of Ukrainian people. And so Ukraine is obliged to protect them despite the constant danger waged by the enemy. I should also point out that some of the exhibits are presented with copies because originals are in evacuation now. So when I will describe them, I will mention that. On the poster of the exhibition we decided to place a photo of a sword in a gold-plated cupboard that was found in the Kurgan near village in the Paris region. Nowadays this part of Ukraine is occupied by the enemy and we hope that this territory and all captured by the enemy territories will be liberated soon. We chose this sword not by accident. In Scythian religion God of War, whose name remains unknown to us, was presented by a sword. It was worshipped on special altars on which swords were placed and many sacrifices were made to it. We know that Scythians were fierce warriors and they managed to protect their lands against the Persian invasion. And nowadays Ukrainian warriors defended the very same land from other enemy and some two and a half thousand years later. Some of the exhibits of our permanent exposition were not evacuated because of possible harm and damage of dismantling and transportation. So here you can see the brightest of such exhibits that is actually the grave of Scythian noblewoman and probably her child that were found in one of the Scythian's most famous on the territory of Ukraine Kurgans named Tovsta Mohyla. This Kurgan was excavated by the expedition of Ukrainian Institute of Archaeology led by Boris Mozalevsky. Now as a result of this very precise and good quality excavation you can actually see how wealthy ornated were the garments of Scythian nobility in the 4th century BCE. As you can see all the clothes and even headdress and even shoe of those time wealthy people could be decorated with gold. And you can see the reconstruction of the headgear that is actually was fully covered on the frontal side with gold appliques with different depictions. Also different depictions of animals mythical creatures were punched on some small appliques that were sewn on the clothes of this woman. And for example on a six of such appliques that were sewn on the sleeves of the of her dress we can see the depiction of Sphinx and here you can see this applique. The Sphinx in Greek mythology is considered as a creature that were born from the union of giant titan and the monster Yehidna. In Scythian clothing the depiction of Sphinx became popular in 5th century BCE due to the influence of Greek art. Scythian art is extremely versatile. Craftsmen work with different materials it was iron, bronze, gold, bone, fabrics and many others. And in most cases they depicted different fighting scene of animals or mythical creatures. Among the depiction of monsters the most popular one was Gryphon. Gryphon was a mythical creature who combined the features of two animals the body of a lion and the wings and beak of bird of prey. In early Scythian time the other monster was popular in Scythian art it is so-called ram bird. It's basically in most cases the depiction of a head of an eagle with combined with the horns of a ram. In the middle of this display case you can see the reconstruction of headdress adorned with appliques that is actually copies. Originals are in vacation now and these originals were found in the Kurgan called Mohyla Ternivka near Sinyavka village in Cherkassy region. This was found during the excavation of Evgeny Znoskoborovsky in 1897. All 31 of these appliques were made in the shape of a deer. Deer in Scythian religion considered to be the symbol of sun, fertility and probably the world tree. Such posture of an animal probably was a symbol of future sacrifice. Scythians and ancient Greeks met in the northern Black Sea area in the 7th century BCE and their relations was not cloudless. This active interaction led to the interpenetration of the artistic trends and Greek craftsmen managed to adapt to the Scythian tasties and this led to the appearance of Greco-Scythian art. These craftsmen depict the Scythian mytho-epic plots in Greek realistic manner. Starting from the 5th century BCE it was such a noticeable fusion of ancient Greek and Scythian art that it is sometimes hard to determine who actually made some masterpiece. Whether it was a Greek who adapted to the Scythian tasties or it could be a Scythian who copied a Greek model. Here in this display case you can see the copy of the diadem that actually again was evacuated and original is decorated Scythian woman headgear and you can see here an interesting picture when many people interact with each other and in the center of it you can see the probably depiction of Scythian ruler or king who is standing before the Scythian goddess. This so-called diadem was found in the Scythian kurgan near Sakhnivka village in Cherkasy oblast and in this case it's actually not obvious who made this piece of art whether it was a Greek or Scythian this question is still under discussion. In this display case you can see the original exhibits the cuttings from the grave of Scythian noblewoman. It was excavated in 1954 by Alexey Terenoshkin in kurgan in Melitopol town of Zaporizhia oblast. During the excavation the researchers were managed to record intact the remains of the decoration of shoes and it's basically gold appliques that have a shape a form of a blossoming flower called aracia. The depiction of such flower we can find in as a decorum of sarcophagi and crypts in Greek art so it's considered to be again the influence of Greek art on the life and religious beliefs of the Scythian nobility. If the side grave from Melitopol kurgan was practically untouched by the looters the main grave was severely damaged but in a hidden niche archaeologists managed to find beautiful masterpieces of Greco-Scythian art and one in particular is a casing for bow and arrows that is called goritos. Here in display case you can see the copy the original also in evacuation now and the original was made of gold it's a sheet of gold with the embossed depiction of some animals and some antique plots. The shape of this item and its purpose is actually indicated belonging to the Scythian material culture as well as a depiction on the upper crease and lateral ledge where different animals attacking each other or mythical creatures and myth. So we are out of electricity now because of electricity shortage in Ukraine because of war so now I will prolong my story about this goritos. The biggest part of the surface is decorated with antique plot. This is considered to be the depiction of a very popular in Greek art story about a siege and capturing of Troy so-called Trojan cycle. The events of this cycle take part in 12th century BCE however these stories were popular among Greeks during many centuries so here you can see the copy of the item made in 4th century and it still was popular among Greeks and probably among the Scythians. This story is considered to be the story of the one of the heroes of Trojan war Achilles. Among the Greeks who lived in northern Black Sea coast Achilles was very popular. There was actually a temple built for this hero on the Levke island. Nowadays this is Zmini island where on February of 2024 Ukrainian border guard expressed feelings of all Ukrainians to the Russian army. Returning to the goritos it is hard to say what made Scythian also loved the story about Achilles. After all we have finds of similar goritos cases in other Kyrgyzstans such as Chortomlyk in Dnepropetrovsk oblast and Ilintsy in Vinnytsia oblast. One of the versions is due to association of Achilles with other hero or demigod Heracles whom Scythian considered to be their ancestor. So this led to the popularity of this plot in the Scythian material culture. The peculiarity of Melitopol goritos is that this is the only one find of series of such finds that's actually kept in the Ukrainian museum and not Russian museum. I also can mention that in nowadays Great War Russian occupiers robbed Melitopol local lore museum where some small part of the collection from the excavation of Melitopol kurgan were kept and we do not know what happened with those finds. In this display case you can see the copy of the sword with the gold-plated scarpard original of which were found in the kurgan near Velika Belazerka village. The excavation of this kurgan were provided in 1979 by the expedition of Institute of Archaeology led by Vitaly Otroschenko. Similar finds are unknown from different Scythian kurgans however the peculiarity of this find is actually the depiction of a boar head on the lateral ledge of this scabbard because the similar depiction of such sword with a depiction of a boar we can see on other find unique find from Saloha kurgan. There on the small figurine you can see the same depiction and especially interesting is that this Saloha kurgan situated not far from Velika Belazerka village so probably this depiction smaller one and the actual real size one were somehow connected but unfortunately of course nowadays we could not say why. So I should say about the Saloha kurgan it was excavated in the beginning of the 20th century and most the biggest part of the collection is nowadays kept in Russian museum and this beautiful masterpiece of Greco-Scythian art a golden comb from Saloha is actually the part of Russian museum collection despite of the fact that it was found on the territory of Ukraine. In nowadays war it's actually sad to say that some smallest part of the collection from the Saloha kurgan that were kept in a Ukrainian museum in Kherson and nowadays were also robbed by Russian army and probably this part of Ukrainian heritage again was captured by the enemy. The pectoral is the most famous masterpiece of our Scythian collection that was evacuated so here you can see the copy that was loaned to us by the institute of archaeology. This gold pectoral belonged to the Scythian ruler or king or chief this is the most unique and most accomplished masterpiece of Greco-Scythian art. The Greek artisan combined the most complicated techniques of jewelry craft of the 4th century BCE. Greek realistic art manner with the Scythian idea of world order. Thus three friezes means a picture of the world of life and the world of death which are interconnected by the symbolic world three. The term pectus means chest in latin which is why archaeologists called it pectoral or priest decoration. The owner wore it on his neck and breast and in a way held the weight of the world order on his neck. So because of pectoral we can we can say that in Tovstamohyla kurgan Scythian buried their ruler. In these two display cases you can see the brightest samples of Scythian material and spiritual culture that is called rattles. Most of such products have fairly simple shapes and are decorated with a figurine of one animal mythical creature or some part of it. They are hollowed and inside every finial or rattle there is a small iron ball. The Scythians probably decorated their wagon's roofs with them so while moving the rattle would protect them from evil spirits. Here is one of the unusual finials with a complicated shape. In the center of a so-called world tree you can see the picture of a man or probably the god. This artifact is a chance find which one of our museum founders Vikenty Khoika bought in 1896 as it was found at Lysa Hora near the Novopavlevka village. This place is now part of the city of Nikopol in Dnepropetrovsk oblast and now the city of Nikopol is under constant artillery fire from the enemy which is stationed and on the occupied territory of the modern city of Energodar. The culture of ancient Greeks become popular and trendy not only among so-called barbarian peoples of those time Europe. Also Romans copied Greek plots and Greek masterpieces so it was pretty influential at those times. And now we are in the hall devoted to the Greek art on the territory of Ukraine and it's presented with artifacts made of bronze and of pottery. In the first half of the hall there are the best samples from the so-called cervice which was probably used as ceremonial vessels for the drinking wine among the Scythians. This set was found in 1960-1961 by the workers of a pit enterprise during the development of a pit field in the valley of Supi river that is the left tributary of the Dnieper. The craftsmen who made this set possessed numerous techniques at the highest level forging, hammering, grinding, casting and many others. According to the Alexander Medullin the golden brown color of the surface of the vessels reminiscent of granite or marble was formed as a result of the long stay of the artifacts in the pit bog. A total of 15 vessels were found in one place by chance belonging to this service. Scholar Oksana Hanina believed that this set got into the pit land as a result of the deaths of the merchant who transported it on his boat and according to the workers of the pit enterprise they found the bottom of an oak pot close to these vessels. However, the fact that the discrepancy in dating between the individual products reached close to 170 years and the doubt in this version. The citula with a spout in the form of a lion head is considered to be the latest sample from this set. The oldest one is the hydreus and amphoras that is dated back to the end of 6th beginning of 5th century BCE. Another version of the researchers is the possible use of the pit bog by the Scythians as a sacred place where they sacrificed expensive and refined dishes to the gods. Such sacrifices are known among other peoples but for the Scythians this is still a single find which make this set even more interesting. The second half of the hall presents the best samples of greek painted tableware made by greek craftsmen in the northern black sea and even mediterranean region and here in this display case are two cups that are considered to be the one of the oldest one found in Pontic Olbia. This is a greek city-state that is situated near modern Parutina village in Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. One of the cups have a depiction of a ritual dance. This cup was made in the 6th century BCE on the island of Chios in Aegean Sea. However, it was found in Olbia in 1940 during the excavation led by Lazar Slavin. Such a picture was a popular motif of archaic greek wine cups. Such a dance was a logical continuation of the greek symposium when drunken merry guests began a dance with a strange movements. Such dancers in Greece gathered in komos which meant a kind of party in honor of Dionysus which possibly later become the basis of the formation of the world word komodi or more familiar to us comedy. Here you can see the fish dish that dates back to the 4th century BCE. Such form of dishes were actually used for placing fish or seafood products on the table. So, the fish was placed in the flat surface of the dish and the sauce was poured in the center of such dishes. Usually, such dishes were painted in red figure technique on a marine theme. This dish originates from Nymphaion, now the city of Kerch in Crimean peninsula of Ukraine. Nymphaion was a greek polis founded in the middle of the 6th century BCE on the western shore of the Kerch strait which in the 5th century BCE became the part of Posporos kingdom. This dish was found in a barrel in 19th century but only in 1990s the artifact was restored assembled like a puzzle from more than a hundred fragments. Therefore, this dish is also masterpiece of the skill of museum conservators. This item belonged to the group of luxurious dishes with a scene from the myth of Europe. Zeus turning into a bull or sending a bull instead of himself stole the Phoenician princess Europe. Sitting on the animal's back she swam across the sea to the Crete island where Zeus wed with her. The last display case contains terracotta figurines and a roof tile also made in terracotta technique. All terracottas were made in special molds. The Greeks used these products made of unglazed porous clay in everyday life, cults and in case of a roof tile as a building element. One of the terracotta busts of a woman with a beautiful coiffure ornated with ivy leaves and fruits, a ribbon on her forehead and a vessel on her head. Previously such figurines were considered the image of the Greek goddess Demeter with a colossus or basket on her head. However, nowadays researchers are inclined to connect such images with the worshipping of Dionysus. The characteristic rounded protrusions about the forehead of Dionysian characters are called koryms in scientific literature. Korym is a botanical term that means inflorescence that has a shield-like shape. That's how ivy flowers and fruits are placed. According to the legend, ivy appeared when Dionysus was born to protect him from the sunlight that killed his mother Semele. This bust is hollow on the inside and has an opening at the back. According to the modern views, this terracotta is a themeaterion and was used for burning incense. Namely, the essential oil was poured into an open bowl of the themeaterion to obtain incense for a long time. In addition, a themeaterion could be brought as a gift to the deity that has become a vaulter. In Olbia, Hersonensis and other cities of the North Black Sea region during the Hellenistic period, similar terracotta figurines were found in public sanctuaries and in oikos, so they became widespread. Similarly, the Olbia terracotta themeateria, which were also mass-produced at this time, were recorded both in dwellings and on the terminals. Currently, Mykolaiv Oblast, as well as the remains of the ancient city of Olbia, and the historical and archaeological reserve of Olbia are under constant danger of destruction from the Russian missile attacks, because it's situated very close to the war zone. Thus, this exhibition we demonstrate is the brightest sample of art of Scythian, of Greeks, and also the beautiful masterpieces of Greco-Scythian jewelry art from our museum collection. As much as possible, it's a condition of war with enemies that constantly attacked and destroyed the cultural heritage of Ukrainian people. Concluding all that I said before, I should add this – the terrorist state Russian Federation must be stopped.