Iranians and Greeks in South Russia - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian ...

102 THE SCYTHIANS
chain of gold tubes, with gold pendants, five bracelets of solid gold,
a solid gold comb
more than three hundred gold garment-plaques ;
(pi. XIX). Vessels : a gold patera (pi. XX, 3), seven silver vases
(pi. XX, I, 2), some wooden vases plated with gold, three large copper
cauldrons, and several amphorae for wine or oil.
Still richer were the tombs of Chertomlyk and of Alexandropol,
and those of the Chmyreva Mogila and of the Serogozy group : for
not only the king's grave but the queen's grave was found as well.
The jewels worn by the women were extremely rich and various, and
usually very heavy and costly. Their festal costume was loaded with
gold, especially the great conical tiara, of Irano-Greek type, which I
have lately reconstructed by means of fragments from a number of
different graves.
We must notice that nearly all these objects were artistic works
covered with figures and ornaments in relief : sometimes artistic works
of the highest order. Let us compare the funeral inventory with that
of the Scythian tombs on the Kuban. The superficial aspect has not
altered. Side by side with pure Greek work, made for Greeks but
sold to Scythians, a series of Greek objects made for Scythians, and
a series which seems pure Scythian, especially some jewels, the bridle
decoration, the ornaments of the funeral canopies, and those of the
funeral cars. But if we look more closely we detect a notable change,
particularly in the second class of products. We have seen that as
early as the fifth century, Greek artists adapted themselves to Scythian
taste, fashioned for them weapons and ornaments of regular Scythian
type, and endeavoured to please them by decorating these articles in
the animal style which the Scythians loved. But while they thus
consulted the taste of their customers, they remained Greeks. They
ennobled the shapes, and they partly substituted the animal style of
Asia Minor for the Scythian. But their art remained purely decorative :
religious subjects are rarely found, and that only on pure Greek
objects brought to the Russian steppes by chance.
In the fourth and third centuries there is a significant change.
There is still importation from Iranian lands : for instance, one of
the Chertomlyk swords, and some engraved gems. But most of the
objects are the work of Greek artists. They still produced the
same kind of weapons and ornaments. But the mode of decoration
is quite different. The animal style is no longer predominant, but
confined to subsidiary positions. Scenes with figures now prevail :
and strange scenes ! Partly representations from Greek mythology,
taken almost at random from the plentiful repertory of the Greeks,
and employed, more or less successfully, to decorate surfaces for which