Abstract
The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of a metal mirror with plot images originating from the Eastern Trans-Kuban region. A flat mirror with a trapezoidal handle belongs to type IV, according to the classification of I.I. Marchenko, and, according to external signs, dates back to the end of the 2nd–1st centuries AD. Mirrors of this type are characteristic for the material culture of the Meotians of the North-Western Caucasus. X-ray fluorescence analysis of the metal showed that the mirror was made of tin-lead bronze with a high content of tin (>18%) and a moderate content of lead (~5%). This technology reflects the Meoto-Sarmatian metallurgical traditions characteristic of the region. The images engraved on the mirror represent a composition of three scenes: the “tree of life” with ungulates standing on both sides (central scene), a duel between two horsemen (upper scene), and a wolf hunting for fallow deer (lower scene). The style of the image and the plots presented in the composition have analogies in the monuments of applied art of the Sarmatians and Meotians. The plot scenes engraved on the mirror reflect the religious, mythological or epic ideas of the ancient population of the North- Western Caucasus.
Keywords
Mirror, North-Western Caucasus, X-ray fluorescence analysis, tin-lead bronze, Meotians, Sarmatians, plot images, mythology, religion, epos.
Andrey M. Novichikhin, Anapa Archaeological Museum, Anapa, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tatiana N. Smekalova, V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Aleksandr G. Kokoulin, Independent researcher, Yevpatoria, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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