Tatiana M. Kuznetsova

Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow, Russia

E-mail: mamulya-kuznecova@yandex.ru

Keywords: the North Caucasus, mirrors of the “Olbian type”, Miletus, image of a lion, Hellenes, Scythians.

The article analyzes bronze objects known in the literature as “Olbian mirrors”. These items have raised a significant number of questions including the place of production, distribution routes and ethnic attribution of their creators. Particularly, the paper considers one of the types of such objects featuring the image of a lion at the end of the handle. Such complete forms have not yet been found on Scythian territory, but their number has been replenished with new finds, and now most of absolutely identical items come from the North Caucasus. The figurine of a lying lion made it possible to associate these objects with Miletus since the lying lion was the symbol of that city. The presence of such antique works in the North Caucasus, in regions remote from the Greek cities, suggests the desire of the Hellenes to expand the cultural and economic base of their contacts with the population of the North-Eastern Pontic.

DOI: 10.31857/S086960630015371-7