Scythian-Time Sword from the Zamkova Hora in Kyiv (on the Materials of V.V. Khvoiko Research)

Abstract

The sword from excavations provided by V.V. Khvoiko is published in this article. The artifact was found in the late 19th century at Zamkova Hora in the historical part of Kyiv. Its form reconstructed quite relatively. Due to extant fragments, it was a middle-size specimen with oval pommel and triangular (?) crossguard. Due to the analogous burial finds (Pereshchepyne, barrow 12; Staryi Merchyk, barrow 11), it is dated by the 4th c. BC. Region, where the sword was found, during the Scythian time was a borderland. Here lived peoples of the Pidhirtsi and Middle-Dnieper groups of Scythian archaeological culture of the forest-steppe. Besides the sword at the Zamkova Hora Pidhirtsi-type pottery fragments and grey-clay oil lamp of the late 5th – 4th c. BC were found. Therefore, it was assumed that at this locality Pidhirtsi settlement was situated. However, it should be noted that monuments’ topography do not inherent for settlements of this group. In general, chance finds of swords and daggers in Kyiv region were fixed both at high and low landscapes. At the valleys, they could occur not far away from the Pidhirtsi settlements or directly on their surface. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be forgotten that a part of the chance finds could be remnants of the destroyed burials, which also had low topography. Due to mentioned thoughts, it is hard to interpret the sword from Zamkova Hora. It is only possible to assume that chance finds of the Scythian weaponry at the north of Middle Dnieper region probably belonged to nomads.