The description of a unique Roman pommel, found a century ago, was first described in detail in the journal “Brief Communications” of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The work was presented by Kirill Firsov from the State Historical Museum and Anton Strokov from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Short Messages” from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
A pommel in the shape of a boar’s head was discovered in the burial of a noble Sarmatian warrior.
The article is the first to publish and study in detail a unique find from the Sarmatian period: a cast bronze pommel in the shape of a boar’s head with an elongated raised snout. It was discovered in 1902 during excavations of mound 15 near the village of Tiflisskaya in the Kuban region.
This monument is known as the “Golden Cemetery”. The unique artifact is now kept in the State Historical Museum in Moscow. Until now it was believed that this pommel was a Roman military standard.
As part of the new study, a comparative analysis was carried out with many known images and finds. It showed that the pommel has morphological and technological differences with respect to the vast majority of Roman examples.
Technological and XRF analyses showed that the object was cast in tin-lead bronze using the lost-wax casting technique. The pommel sheath was filled with wood from the species Celtis australis Linn., whose main habitat is the Mediterranean. Scientists point out that the age of a tree of this species can reach 1000 years.
The wood sample was radiocarbon dated. Curiously, the results obtained contradict the archaeological dating. However, the reason may be contamination of the sample.
“It is not possible to establish with certainty whether this pommel was actually part of a Roman military standard, but the connection of the object in question with the Mediterranean is obvious,” the authors of the paper write.
They point out that the wood itself may serve as one of the confirmations of a possible connection between the origin of the object and the Roman Empire.
All other Roman standards found in the shape of any animal differ from the studied pommel. However, this does not exclude the possibility that the pommel from the “Golden Cemetery” could be of Roman origin and, at the very least, could have been used by auxiliary cavalry, formed by Sarmatians or Alans from the Kuban steppes.
“This view is indirectly supported by the use of rare southern frame wood, which is not found in Eastern Europe, as well as a certain general similarity to Roman images of dragons,” the publication says.
The rich burial inventory of burial mound 15 near the town of Tiflis with numerous Roman imports indicates the connection of the warrior buried here with the Mediterranean: perhaps he served in the Roman auxiliary cavalry or captured rich loot during campaigns in the Empire.”
At the same time, the Sarmatian-Alanian origin of the pommel cannot be ruled out. Researchers even admit that later Roman standards in the form of dragon heads could be somehow related to the influence of these nomads.
“In this case, the origin of the tree for the production of the axle/post remains unknown,” the scientists note. “Perhaps the Sarmato-Alans could also have captured it during the campaigns in Asia Minor, as described by Arrian in one way or another, at present it is certain that it is not possible to establish.”
The “Golden Cemetery” owes its name to the excavations carried out by Professor Veselovsky of St. Petersburg University in 1901-1906. A significant amount of gold jewellery was discovered. The studied pommel was found in the burial place of a noble warrior from the Sarmatian period.
