Golden Swords of the Early Nomads of Eurasia

A New Classification and Chronology

Bibliographic Data

ID21974772
AuthorsDenis Topal (0000-0002-8586-4427, National Museum of History of Moldova, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume13
Issue2
Pages48
Publication date2024-02-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArts (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0752 • E-ISSN: 2076-0752
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/arts13020048
OpenAlexW4392238873
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

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 extra-long swords), but their distribution is slightly different. Most akinakai belong to the average and long swords. Most Scythian akinakai in Eurasia belong to the dagger and short sword groups. Although most Scythian swords and daggers fall into the Middle Scythian period, most ceremonial forms belong to the last phase of Classical Scythian culture. This period is a veritable “golden autumn” of Scythia with its huge royal burial mounds and abundance of gold, perfectly illustrating our argument that conspicuous consumption coincides with periods of political and social instability. After the peak of the proliferation of ceremonial akinakai in the third quarter of the 4th century BC, we observe a generation later the complete disappearance of Classical Scythian culture, along with its characteristic weapons, horse harnesses, and animal style

Ancient history · Archaeology · Chronology · Genealogy · Geography · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History

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