Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)

Articles

Akinakai ofKelermes Type: New Discoveries in Central Bessarabia

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necropolis19 or Orbeasca de Sus.20 Perhaps this proximity to early bimetallic exemplars could explain the unusual design of the hilt (made from shafts) which imitates frame bronze hilt. A fortiori, some examples of such ‘technological rethinking’ of Caucasian ideas in the West are known already from the Pre-Scythian period, including cold arms.21

Tire chronological frames of Kelermes type could be based on a group of complexes from Caucasus and Dniepr region. A special attention deserves the eponymous find - a prestige sword from burial 1 ofKelermes, excavated in 1903 by

G. Schultz (Pi. 3/7-7a) and very close analogy from Litoj burial (PL 3/9-9a), near actual Kirovograd, investigated in 1763 by A. Melgunov22 (this discovery was called after his name: Melgunov burial mound or Melgunov hoard).23 The date of Kelermes complex with sword sometimes varied from middle 7th c. BC24 to 7-6lh c. BC,25 second half of 6lh c. BC26 or 6-5lh c. BC,27 or even the 1st half of 4th (sic!) c. BC (as it was dated by the author of the first publication E. Pridik, basing on the analysis of artifacts of Ancient East, Scythian and Greek origin’).28 At the same time, terminus ante quem of ‘650-625 BC’ introduced by A. Ivantchik29 seems to be the most appropriate. V. A. Kisel also proposes even lower dating of Kelermes and Melgunov swords - 675-625 BC,30 basing on the analogies of ornament in the form of a triangles and the curved leaves on Urartian relief from Adilcevaz of 680-645 BC.31 Besides this, other sword, also provided with the bight on the hilt from Kelermes is well-known (PI. 3/10).32

Recently some new akinakai of Kelermes type appeared from the investigations of Vladimirovskij cemetery (near Novorossiysk, Russia) - from grave 28 (PL 3/8) and 135 (PL З/З).33 Both

19 Tekhov 1980, 223, fig. 3/7.

20 Vulpe 1990: 36, Taf. 5/25.

21 Topal - Brujako 2012, 134.

22 History of this discovery is circumstantially presented by Irina Tunkina (Tunkina 2007, 195-202).

23 Pridik 1911,1-2.

24 Alekseev 1992, 52, 96; Alekseev 2003,295; Ivantchik 2001, 282.

25 Artamonov 1966, 18, 91; Il’inskaja - Terenozhkin 1983, 104; Murzin 1984, 19-20.

26 Rostovtsev 1925, 312.

27 Rostovtsev 1926, 240.

28 Pridik 1911,21.

29 Ivantchik 2001, 282.

30 Kisel 2003.

31 van Loon 1990, pl. XX, after Kisel 2003.

32 Mantsevich 1969, fig. 2/1; Galanina 1994, fig. 5; Galanina 1997, cat. 4.

33 Shishlov et. al. 2007, fig. 3/5-6.

of the exemplars are characterized by triform handle with the bight and massive butterfly-like halting plate. Unfortunately, this material was presented selectively; furthermore, the cemetery was generally dated by late 7th - early 6th c. BC. However, the iron cheek-piece from the grave 2834 has wide analogies from earliest barrows from Kelermes of 650-625 BC.35 Besides, iron bit from the grave 13536 is almost an exact copy of iron bit from burial 41 of Fars cemetery, which is also synchronous to Early Kelermes group of middle 7lh c. BC.37

Likewise from Caucasus a complex comes from Tlia cemetery (grave 164) with an akinakes with the bight under straight pommel (PL 3/5).3S The scabbard of this sword ends with a zoomorphic cap. It is necessary to mention the long sword (88 cm) with a bight under the pommel,39 discovered in the layers of Karmir-Blur fortified settlement in Armenia (Pi. 3/11), terminus ante quem of it’s destroying is middle 7th c. BC.40 The Caucasian group could be extended with a sword from the grave 4, discovered in 1952 near Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol41 (PL 3/6) with an amorphic ledge under the pommel, which also could be interpreted as remains of bight.42 Two complexes with Keleremes type akinakai come from Georgia - grave 102 near Bazaleti43 (PL 3/2) and grave 110 from Varsimaantkari44 (PL 3/4). Tire exact chronology of these complexes could not be fixed, but in catalogue of exhibition of 2001-2002 ‘Georgia. Treasures from the Land of the Golden Fleece’ the sword from Bazaleti was dated by 7th c. BC, and the exemplar from Varsimaantkari - by 6lh-5th (sic!) c. BC45. A sword with a bight on the

34 Shishlov et. al. 2007, fig. 4/9.

35 Galanina 1997,16-17, 53-54, 83,120, fig. 33. Iron cheekpieces with three loops belong to the most prevalent types in Early Scythian culture on Caucasus (about 130 ex.). According to analysis of S. Makhortykh, its chronological framework could be determined by middle 7th - first decades of 6lh c. BC (Makhortykh 2013, 275).

36 Shishlov et. al. 2007, fig. 4/2.

37 Leskov - Erlikh 1999, 74, fig. 39/7.

38 Tekhov 1980, fig. 12/2.

39 Piotrovskij 1959, 177, fig. 6; Kossack 1987, 67, Abb. 25/1. The similarity of this akinakes with swords from Kelermes and Melgunov was shown by the author of discovery. B. B. Piotrovskij 1959, 177.

40 Ivantchik 2001, 59-61.

41 Egorov 1955, fig. 20/1.

42 Nonetheless, this important detail was not mentioned by author of publication (Egorov 1955, 57), though K. F. Smirnov drew attention to it (Smirnov 1961, 11)

43 Georgien 2001, Kat. 383; Mehnert 2008, 119, Taf. 53/13.

44 Georgien 2001, Kat. 382; Mehnert 2008, 156, Taf. 85/7.

45 It seems that G. Mehnert is also agree with these dates, noting however, that chronology of Bazaleti sword ‘was based on outdated typology of A. I. Meljukova (Mehnert 2008, 69, 82).