Scythian and Sarmatian Weapons in Shilovsky District Museum of Local History

Abstract

During the early Iron Age, the Middle Oka Region was inhabited by Gorodets tribes. The collection of Scythian and Sarmatian weapons in Shilovsky District Museum of Local History is mainly comprised with accidental finds made by locals and materials discovered by exploration researches. Shilovsky District of Ryazan Region is situated at the border between mixed and broad-leaved forests. Back in the early Iron Age they were occupied by Gorodets tribes. The indigenous people were engaged in hunting, fishing and cattle breeding. The area is fringed with forest-steppe vegetation in the south. It provided access to steppe nomadic invaders. It is proven by finds of Scythian and Sarmatian weapon. Scythian iron arrowheads have three blades, narrow triangular proportions and a bushing longer than the fletching. Similar arrowheads are typical for Scythian antiquities found in the Middle Don River and dated 4th–3rd century BC. Iron tanged triple-bladed arrowheads have Sarmatian origins and date back to 3rd–1st century BC. Iron acinaci are severely damaged with corrosion, which prevents establishment of their typology and chronology. The original find is a combat knife with a ring pommel and a single-edged blade Single-edged bladed weapon was created under oriental influence. The early Scythian is the period an iron spearhead with a C-shaped bushing is dated. It is transition from bronze heads to iron ones. One of the rare finds is a bell-shaped copper helmet. It has signs of damage that obstruct its typological identification. Its closest equivalents are the Montefortino helmets and pilei. Having analysed the collection of artefacts it can be concluded that the Gorodets people and steppe nomads were actively interacting at war during the entire Scythian-Sarmatian epoch. The research fails to confirm that the steppe nomads were trade intermediaries between the Antique Black Sea area and the forest zone people