Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia; What they Wore, Who They Traded With and What They Ate and Drank

Gold torc with turquoise inlays. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin
Gold Torque with turquoise inlays

Life in the Siberian landscape was tough and there was heavy competition for survival. The Scythians developed a fearsome set of weapons: pointed battle-axes and short swords for close combat and powerful bows for long-distance archery. Painted wooden shields, armor and a helmet have survived from the ancient tombs.

The Scythians were skilled horsemen and they took their beloved horses with them to the grave so that they could carry on in the afterlife. Favorite horses were specially adorned for this and wore elaborate costumes, with masks, saddle pendants and covers for the mane and tail, which were intended to transform them into mythical beasts.

This exhibition will explore who the Scythians were, how they appeared, what they wore, who they traded with and what they ate and drank. Perfectly preserved seeds have been found in some tombs and were part of a Scythian ritual involving the deliberate inhalation of the smoke from charred hemp.

The fifth century BC Greek historian Herodotus described how Scythians 'howled with pleasure' when they inhaled the smoke and how it was employed in cleansing rituals and for pain relief. A reconstruction in the exhibition shows an ancient brazier together with the hemp seeds and the felt hood which was put over the top like a miniature tent. There are stunning pieces of gold jewelry, gold applique to adorn clothes, wooden drinking bowls, and a highly decorated leather bag even containing remarkably well-preserved lumps of cheese that are over 2,000 years old. There was a two-way influence between the culture of the Scythians and their settled 'civilised' neighbors. Many objects in this exhibition show evidence of cultural interaction, from Scythian wine-drinking learnt from the ancient Greeks and Persians, through ancient Greek craftsmen who depicted archers in Scythian dress, and the gold objects in the Achaemenid Oxus Treasure in the British Museum’s collection that are influenced by Scythian art.

Artist's impression of a Scythian on a horse. Reconstruction by D V Pozdnjakov

Depiction of mounted Scythian

In about the second century BC the Scythians disappeared and were replaced by other nomadic powers. The exhibition concludes with an exploration of what happened afterwards and takes a look at life in southern Siberia in the early centuries AD. These objects are also spectacularly well preserved, but through extreme dryness rather than extreme cold.

Haunting painted clay death masks decorated to resemble the tattooed faces of the deceased are shown alongside beautiful clothing and the reconstructed log-cabin tomb chamber in which they were discovered. The growing application of archaeological science is unlocking clues to the past, and new results from collaborative work by the British Museum and the State Hermitage Museum will be included in the exhibition. This exhibition will allow visitors to discover the life and legacy of the Scythians, revealing their history like never before. Supported by BP Organised with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, said: ‘It is hugely exciting to be announcing the British Museum's autumn exhibition on the ancient Scythians and we look forward to sharing their fascinating story with our visitors. Through this exhibition visitors will gain a unique understanding of the people, the art and the influence of one of the earliest civilisations in Siberia.’

The catalogue, The BP exhibition Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia, edited by St John Simpson and Svetlana Pankova, will be published by Thames & Hudson in collaboration with the British Museum.

The British Museum's blog raises the question:

The Dothraki and the Scythians: a game of clones?
If you're excited about another fantastical series of Game of Thrones, you're not alone. But George R. Martin's vivid world has many real-life parallels. Here, take a closer look at the inspiration behind the bloodthirsty, horse-riding nomadic warriors, the Dothraki...

The battle between the north and south has parallels with the Wars of the Roses, the Wall echoes Hadrian’s Wall, built to keep out the barbarians to the north, and the Red Wedding has roots in the bloody massacres of Glencoe and the ‘Black Dinner’, where guests were brutally murdered. Much has been written on these parallels already, so instead here’s a look at the real life nomadic warriors behind those wild horsemen, the Dothraki.

http://blog.britishmuseum.org/the-dothraki-and-the-scythians-a-game-of-clones/

Another report on the Scythians: Scythians, ice mummies and burial mounds
Curator St John Simpson takes a closer look at Scythian burial mounds and how they reveal what these nomadic warriors believed about the afterlife.

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Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia; What they Wore, Who They Traded With and What They Ate and Drank

The British Museum's blog raises the question:

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