Ceremonial Dagger from Gorgippia Necropolis as an Insignia of Power
https://doi.org/10.25205/2499-9997-2025-1-6-16
Abstract
The subject of the study is an iron dagger with a gold hilt and a gold scabbard, found during excavations of the Gorgippia necropolis in a rich burial in the second half of the second century A.D. The sheath and hilt of the dagger are decorated in a polychrome animal style characteristic of the Sarmatian world. Daggers similar in shape and decoration were found in the graves of the highest Sarmatian nobility – Dachy and Tillya-Tepe. It is possible that the Gorgippian dagger is close to them in time and should be attributed to an earlier period than the one containing its burial. An important element of the scabbard's decor is the nine-fold repeated image of an eagle torturing a hare. This motif dates back to the ancient Iranian mytho-epic tradition and symbolizes military luck (Xen. Cirop. II, 4). The discovery of Sarmatian-type status weapons with images reflecting the ideas of military prowess characteristic of the Iranian world gives reason to consider the Gorgippian find as an insignia of power belonging to a representative of the Sarmatian nobility, who performed the functions of a military leader in Gorgippia. Most likely, he held the position of «chief of the Aspurgians», known from Bosporan inscriptions.
Keywords
Bosporan kingdom,
Gorgippia,
necropolis,
crypt,
burial,
dagger,
eagle, torturing a hare,
insignia of power,
Sarmatians,
Aspurgians
Supporting agencies: The reported study was funded by the framework of the project “The beginning of the confrontation between East and West. The struggle of Mithridates VI with Rome and the fate of the peoples of Taurica and Syndica in Late Hellenism in the light of new archaeological evidence: a multidisciplinary study” under the grant of the Russian Science Foundation no. 23-18-00088
About the Author
A. M. Novichikhin
Anapa Archaeological Museum
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Andrey M. Novichikhin, Candidate of Sciences (History), Anapa
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Review
For citations:
Novichikhin A.M. Ceremonial Dagger from Gorgippia Necropolis as an Insignia of Power. Universum Humanitarium. 2025;(1):6-16. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/2499-9997-2025-1-6-16
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