Hoard From Nyzhnia Syrovatka – First Complex of the Martynivka Circle

In the paper presents first hoard of the Martynivka circle. It was discovered in the middle of the 19th century near the village of Nyzhnia Syrovatka, Sumy district, Kharkiv province (now Sumy district, Sumy region). The complex included: three radiate-headed fibulae of the Dnieper circle, fragments of three bracelets, two trapezoidal pendants, ten small conical through hole bell, bronze tubular bead and bone pendant. Unfortunately, the fate of most of the jewellery from hoard is unknown, only two fibulas made it to the museums of Western Europe. Hoard from Nyzhnia Syrovatka was first complex of Martynivka circle or first chronological group by O. Shcheglova. The appearance of hoards is connected with the military-political tribal association of Slavs in the Middle Dnieper and the Dnieper Left Bank. The archaeological equivalent of this formation could be parts of the carriers of the Penkivka and Kolochyn cultures. Jewelry from hoards of Martynivka circle dates from the second half of 6th – the end of 7th century. And «concealment» occurs in the middle – third quarter of 7th century. The exact location of the find is unknown. But this complex is surrounded by early medieval Slavic monuments, including those with Kolochyn materials (Bezdryk). Hoard from Nyzhnia Syrovatka supplements information about the ethno-cultural situation in the basin of Psel. Recently number of new hoards of Martynivka circle has increased significantly from Sumy region. Some of them got to the museum institutions. This prompted the writing of this article about the first complex of this group, discovered 160 years ago. Keywords: Nyzhnia Syrovatka, hoards of Martynivka circle, Early Middle Ages, Kolochyn culture, jewelry

Ancient history · Art · Hoard · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Diverse Scientific Research in Ukraine · History