Precious Items From the Shumeiko Barrow

Abstract

The paper deals to the finds from the barrow near the Shumeiko farm in the Sula river basin (now Sumy region of Ukraine) which was excavated by Sergei Mazaraki in 1899. Objects of Scythian culture were found in the mound: weapons, horse bridles, and vessels. Mikhail Rostovtsev mistakenly attributed to these finds the fragment of ancient Greek kylix of the end of the 6th century BC. Modern researchers date the barrow assemblage near the Shumeiko farm to the first half of the 6th century BC (Igor Bruyako, Denis Grechko, Denis Topal, Oleksandr Shelekhan). Sergey Polin attributes it to Early Scythian time.
 In the paper three precious items from the barrow are described in detail. This is a sword, the handle of which is plaqued with gold. The ancient craftsman used the granulation technique for decoration. Not only the ancient Greek jewelers used this technique. The masters of Urartu applied it as well. It was used in the decoration of the sword from the Kelermes barrow in the Kuban region, as well as on various adornments. The iron sword has an original shape and belongs to the Shumeiko type (according to Denis Topal, Oleksandr Shelekhan). Such swords were most common in the first half of the 6th century BC. The scabbard was decorated by the gold plate with images of animals and the gold tip. The analysis shows that the images of wild goats and predators are made in the early Scythian animal style. The sheath tip also corresponds to the early Scythian tradition and finds analogies in the Pre-Scythian time. On the contrary, at a later time (the end of the 6th — beginning of the 5th century BC), according to other principles (barrow No 6 near the Oleksandrivka village, Gostra Mogyla near the Tomakovka village) the tips of the scabbard were made. Near the sword the gold plate in the form of a running hare was found. It was made in the Scythian animal style. This plate was probably part of the sheath decor and adorned a side leather ledge that helped to attach the scabbard to the belt. A preliminary conclusion is made about the belonging of precious items from the Shumeiko barrow to the Kelermes horizon of antiquities of the Early Scythian culture.