Denis Topal
Biographic Data
| ID | 782693 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Denis Topal |
| GIVEN NAMES | Denis |
| FAMILY NAME | Topal |
| SIGNATURE | TOPAL D |
| AFFILIATIONS | National Museum of History of Moldova |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8586-4427 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Golden Swords of the Early Nomads of Eurasia
The “ceremonial” forms of swords and daggers—that is, bladed weapons decorated with precious metals—occupy a special place in the culture of the early nomads. For the Scythian period, we know at least 76 ceremonial objects from 61 sites, corresponding to 3.5% of the total sample. More than half of the finds come from the northern Black Sea region (mainly Ukraine). Ceremonial forms are represented in all morphological categories (from daggers to e…
Iconography and Chronology of the Ceremonial Akinakes from Filippovka-I Burial Ground
This article presents the iconographic analysis and contextualization of a unique object in the archaeology of the Eurasian steppes: a particular kind of sword, also known as an akinakes, identified during regular excavations in the Filippovka-I cemetery. The ritual sword was found in Barrow 4, Burial 2, and features an elaborate iconographic scheme made of gold which is used for the decoration of both sides of the blade and the handle of the obj…
Princely Fibula from the Răzeni Village
The fibula is a stray find discovered by locals near the Răzeni village in the Ialoveni district of the Republic of Moldova and in 2022 was transferred to the National Museum of the History of Moldova. This is a two-plate fibula with a rhombic foot and a semicircular head. Its body was made of white metal (silver?) enclosed in a gold overlay. The shields and the arched bow were decorated with carnelian and overlaid metal elements (grain, double s…
Single-edged akinakai of Transylvania and Great Hungarian Plain. Reflection of a Balkan tradition
In the Scythian time in the territory of the Middle Danube, Transylvanian and the Southern Carpathian regions, the original group of single-edged akinakai is distributed. By the time the Scythians penetrated Carpathian region, a part of the population of Basarabi culture (bearers of the Illyrian tradition of single-edged weaponry) moved to the north, to the South Carpathians and Transylvania. Perhaps it is the circumstance that can explain the ap…
Hoard of Fragmented Artifacts from the Late Bronze Age near Răzeni Village
In 2020, the National Museum of the History of Moldova received a hoard of bronze items, presumably found in a forest near the Răzeni village, Ialoveni district of the Republic of Moldova. The main feature of the Răzeni hoard is the deliberate fragmentation of all items, without exception, by hand, without the help of special tools. Judging by the characteristics of the fragments, it is unlikely that the task of the master was to obtain fragments…
[Review
С О Д Е Р Ж А Н И Е
Ceremonial Akinakes From Filippovka Between the Context, Chronology, and Iconography
This article presents the iconographic analysis and contextualization of a unique object in the archaeology of the Eurasian steppes: a particular kind of sword, also known as an akinakes, identified during regular excavations in the Filippovka-1 cemetery. The ritual sword was found in Barrow 4, Burial 2, and features an elaborate iconographic scheme made of gold which is used for the decoration of both sides of the blade and the handle of the obj…
Swords and daggers of early nomads from Transylvania and Southern Carpathians
Transylvania and Wallachia, like the Caucasus and the Middle Dnieper, can be considered the centres of the genesis of Scythian bladed weapons, especially in the Early Scythian period. Furthermore, the early Scythian time was the period of the creative reinvention of the Gudermes and Kelermes traditions, which led to the appearance in Transylvania of the Posmuș and Deleni types of akinakai, and in Wallachia – of the Ferigile type of the second hal…
Vettersfelde Hoard
Among all the hoards containing ceremonial akinakai , (swords and daggers of Iranian origin), the assemblage of items discovered in 1882 near the village of Vettersfelde (Poland) is the most internally coherent. Judging by the motifs present on the golden objects richly decorated in the animal style – a fish‐shaped plaque, a clover‐shaped phalera and a sheath ornament of a sword – they make up a unified ensemble, most likely the result of one rit…
Guest from the West
part of the Republic of Moldova. The artefacts (about 150 items) were discovered in a pit, about 50 cm deep and among them were: two fibulae of Röschitz-Sanislău type, seven necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, about 80 appliqués, a coral bead, a wild animal tusk pendant and 21 amber beads. The objects from this deposit are of western origin, with known analogues in deposits from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and less in Romania. Appa…
Swords and daggers of early nomads from Transylvania and Southern Carpathians
Transylvania and Wallachia, like the Caucasus and the Middle Dnieper, can be considered the centres of the genesis of Scythian bladed weapons, especially in the Early Scythian period. Furthermore, the early Scythian time was the period of the creative reinvention of the Gudermes and Kelermes traditions, which led to the appearance in Transylvania of the Posmuș and Deleni types of akinakai, and in Wallachia – of the Ferigile type of the second hal…
Single-edged akinakai of Transylvania and Great Hungarian Plain. Reflection of a Balkan tradition
In the Scythian time in the territory of the Middle Danube, Transylvanian and the Southern Carpathian regions, the original group of single-edged akinakai is distributed. By the time the Scythians penetrated Carpathian region, a part of the population of Basarabi culture (bearers of the Illyrian tradition of single-edged weaponry) moved to the north, to the South Carpathians and Transylvania. Perhaps it is the circumstance that can explain the ap…
Hoard of Fragmented Artifacts from the Late Bronze Age near Răzeni Village
In 2020, the National Museum of the History of Moldova received a hoard of bronze items, presumably found in a forest near the Răzeni village, Ialoveni district of the Republic of Moldova. The main feature of the Răzeni hoard is the deliberate fragmentation of all items, without exception, by hand, without the help of special tools. Judging by the characteristics of the fragments, it is unlikely that the task of the master was to obtain fragments…
[Review
С О Д Е Р Ж А Н И Е
Ceremonial Akinakes From Filippovka Between the Context, Chronology, and Iconography
This article presents the iconographic analysis and contextualization of a unique object in the archaeology of the Eurasian steppes: a particular kind of sword, also known as an akinakes, identified during regular excavations in the Filippovka-1 cemetery. The ritual sword was found in Barrow 4, Burial 2, and features an elaborate iconographic scheme made of gold which is used for the decoration of both sides of the blade and the handle of the obj…
Swords and daggers of early nomads from Transylvania and Southern Carpathians
Transylvania and Wallachia, like the Caucasus and the Middle Dnieper, can be considered the centres of the genesis of Scythian bladed weapons, especially in the Early Scythian period. Furthermore, the early Scythian time was the period of the creative reinvention of the Gudermes and Kelermes traditions, which led to the appearance in Transylvania of the Posmuș and Deleni types of akinakai, and in Wallachia – of the Ferigile type of the second hal…
Vettersfelde Hoard
Among all the hoards containing ceremonial akinakai , (swords and daggers of Iranian origin), the assemblage of items discovered in 1882 near the village of Vettersfelde (Poland) is the most internally coherent. Judging by the motifs present on the golden objects richly decorated in the animal style – a fish‐shaped plaque, a clover‐shaped phalera and a sheath ornament of a sword – they make up a unified ensemble, most likely the result of one rit…
Guest from the West
part of the Republic of Moldova. The artefacts (about 150 items) were discovered in a pit, about 50 cm deep and among them were: two fibulae of Röschitz-Sanislău type, seven necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, about 80 appliqués, a coral bead, a wild animal tusk pendant and 21 amber beads. The objects from this deposit are of western origin, with known analogues in deposits from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and less in Romania. Appa…
Princely Fibula from the Răzeni Village
The fibula is a stray find discovered by locals near the Răzeni village in the Ialoveni district of the Republic of Moldova and in 2022 was transferred to the National Museum of the History of Moldova. This is a two-plate fibula with a rhombic foot and a semicircular head. Its body was made of white metal (silver?) enclosed in a gold overlay. The shields and the arched bow were decorated with carnelian and overlaid metal elements (grain, double s…
Golden Swords of the Early Nomads of Eurasia
The “ceremonial” forms of swords and daggers—that is, bladed weapons decorated with precious metals—occupy a special place in the culture of the early nomads. For the Scythian period, we know at least 76 ceremonial objects from 61 sites, corresponding to 3.5% of the total sample. More than half of the finds come from the northern Black Sea region (mainly Ukraine). Ceremonial forms are represented in all morphological categories (from daggers to e…
Iconography and Chronology of the Ceremonial Akinakes from Filippovka-I Burial Ground
This article presents the iconographic analysis and contextualization of a unique object in the archaeology of the Eurasian steppes: a particular kind of sword, also known as an akinakes, identified during regular excavations in the Filippovka-I cemetery. The ritual sword was found in Barrow 4, Burial 2, and features an elaborate iconographic scheme made of gold which is used for the decoration of both sides of the blade and the handle of the obj…
History (10 works) · Ancient history (9 works) · Archaeology (9 works) · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies (7 works) · Eurasian Exchange Networks (7 works) · Geography (6 works) · Art (5 works) · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies (5 works) · History (5 works) · Chronology (3 works)