The Scythians: nomad goldsmiths of the open steppes
The Scythians: nomad goldsmiths of the open steppes
Horsemen repose in the shade of a leafy tree. One holds the bridle of their two mounts while the other lies outstretched with his head in the lap of a seated woman. This scene from the life of the nomads of the steppes is depicted on a symmetrical pair of gold plaques once worn on a sword-belt and preserved among the treasures of the art collection of Tsar Peter the Great. They are one of the myriad examples of the Creative genius of the artists of the steppes, homelands of Scythian and Siberian horsemen 2,500 years ago.
This issue of the Unesco Courier is entirely devoted to this cultural universe which flourished in Antiquity at the crossroads of Asia and Europe.