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Saksanokhur Gold Buckle
The Saksanokhur gold buckle is an ancient belt buckle in gold '' repoussé'', discovered in the Hellenistic archaeological site of Saksanokhur, South Tajikistan. The plate represents a nomadic horserider spearing a boar, set within a rectangular decorative frame. The buckle is generally dated to the 1st-2nd century CE, although Francfort dates it earlier to the 2nd-1st century BCE, as do the curators for the Guimet Museum, and the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan. Horserider The horserider is generally only described as a "nomadic hunter". He wears a large robe with ample sleeves, held by a fine belt, over ample trousers reaching to the ankles. He was holding one or two spears, fragments of which remain. His hair is tied into a bun. The right side of his face has been damaged. His horse had elaborate trappings, the tail is covered and tied with a knot at the end, the mane is curt short. More specifically, according to Francfort, the plate may have been made for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saksanokhur
Saksanokhur (Саксанохур) is the modern name of a Hellenistic settlement of the Greco-Bactrian and Kushan Empire, Kushan kingdoms, located at the village of Shaftolubogh near Farkhor on a plateau of arable land near the meeting of the Kyzylsu (Panj), Kyzylsu and Panj rivers, in the south of present-day Tajikistan. The site consists of a rectangular settlement, with a citadel in the north-eastern corner, rising three metres above the surrounding territory. The main structure in the citadel is a fortified palatial building, with a large courtyard, measuring around 50 metres on each side. On the west, east, and south sides, the courtyard is surrounded by a narrow corridor which give access to a range of further rooms. On the south side of the courtyard there is a vestibule with four columns, known as an ''aiwan''. The door of the ''aiwan'' leads to the south isolating corridor and from there to a large hall about 15 m wide and 22 m long with two columns. The columns all belo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuezhi
The Yuezhi were an ancient people first described in China, Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat at the hands of the Xiongnu in 176 BC, the Yuezhi split into two groups migrating in different directions: the Greater Yuezhi and Lesser Yuezhi. This started a complex domino effect that radiated in all directions and, in the process, set the course of history for much of Asia for centuries to come. The Greater Yuezhi initially migrated northwest into the Ili River, Ili Valley (on the modern borders of China and Kazakhstan), where they reportedly displaced elements of the Sakas. They were driven from the Ili Valley by the Wusun and migrated southward to Sogdia and later settled in Bactria. The Greater Yuezhi have consequently often been identified with peoples mentioned in classical European sources as having overrun the Greco-Bactrian K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saka
The Saka, Old Chinese, old , Pinyin, mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit (Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, Eastern Iranian peoples who lived in the Eurasian Steppe and the Tarim Basin from the 9th century BC to the 5th century AD. "Modern scholars have mostly used the name Saka to refer specifically to Iranians of the Eastern Steppe and Tarim Basin" "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Central Asia and Eastern Turkestan to distinguish them from the related Massagetae of the Aral region and the Scythians of the Pontic steppes. These tribes spoke Iranian languages, and their chief occupation was nomadic pastoralism." The Saka were closely related to the Scythians, and both groups formed part of the wider Scythian cultures. However, they are distinguished from the Scythians by their specific geographical and cultural traits. The Saka la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belt Buckles
A belt buckle is a buckle, a clasp for fastening two ends, such as of straps or a belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other. The word enters Middle English via Old French and the -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... and the Latin ''buccula'' or "cheek-strap," as for a helmet. Belt buckles and other fixtures are used on a variety of belts, including cingula, baltea, baldric">Baldric#Roman balteus">baltea, baldrics and later waist-belts. Types Belt buckles go back at least to the Iron Age and a gold "great buckle" was among the items interred at Sutton Hoo. Primarily decorative "shield on tongue" buckles were common Anglo-Saxon grave goods at this time, elaborately decorated on the "shield" portion and associated only with men. One such buckle, found in a 7th-century grave at Finglesham, Kent during excavations by Sonia Chadwick Hawke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeological Sites In Tajikistan
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology (in North America – the four-field approach), history or geography. The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history, from the development of the first stone tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades. Archaeology is distinct from palaeontology, which is the study of fossil remains. Archaeology is particularly important for learning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tillya Tepe
Tillya tepe, Tillia tepe or Tillā tapa (, literally "Golden Hill" or "Golden Mound") is an archaeological site in the northern Afghanistan province of Jowzjan near Sheberghan, excavated in 1978 by a Soviet-Afghan team led by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi. The hoard found there is often known as the Bactrian gold. The hoard is a collection of about 20,600 ornaments, coins and other kinds of artifacts, made of gold, silver, ivory, etc., that were found in six burial mounds erected for five women and one man, with extremely rich jewelry, dated to around the 1st century BCE-1st century CE. The ornaments include necklaces set with semi-precious stones, belts, medallions and a crown. After its discovery, the hoard went missing during the wars in Afghanistan, until it was "rediscovered" and first brought to public attention again in 2003. A new museum in Kabul is being planned where the Bactrian gold will eventually be kept. The heavily fortified town of Yemshi Tepe, ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kangju
Kangju (; Eastern Han Chinese: ''kʰɑŋ-kɨɑ'' standard Chinese ''Kāngjū''), proposes that it was an Iranian word meaning "stone", and compares it to Pashto ''kā́ṇay'' "stone". Joseph Marquart, Omeljan Pritsak and Peter B. Golden have noted phonetic similarities between Kangju and Kengeres mentioned in the Orkhon inscriptions, the Kangarâyê in Transcaucasia, the city of Kengü Tarban, and the three Pecheneg tribes collectively known as Kangar mentioned by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. Nevertheless, all those connections remain hypothetical. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Kangju spoke an Eastern Iranian language, which was probably identical to Sogdian, or derived from it. History According to 2nd century BCE Chinese sources, Kangju lay north of the Dayuan and west of the Wusun, bordering the Yuezhi in the south. Their territory covered the region of the Ferghana Valley and the area between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, with the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phalerae
A phalera was a sculpted disk, usually made of gold, silver, bronze or glass, and worn on the breastplate during parades by Roman soldiers who had been awarded it as a kind of medal. Roman military units could also be awarded phalerae for distinguished conduct in action. These awards were often mounted on the staffs of the unit's standards. The term also refers to disks crafted by the continental Celts for religious and ornamental purposes, especially those used on equestrian gear. File:Phaleratus.jpg, A soldier with seven phalerae File:Lauersforter Phalerae Museum Burg Linn.jpg, Lauersfort Phalera, Burg Linn Museum Center, Krefeld, Germany File:Cohort standards with phallerae.jpg, Roman military unit standards with phalerae File:Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union 2011 - Rider from Lupu Dacian Silver Hoard.JPG, Circular Dacian phalera having the representation of a horseman with shield See also * Roman military decorations and punishments * Mirror armour Mirror ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khalchayan
Khalchayan (also ''Khaltchaïan'') is an archaeological site, thought to be a small palace or a reception hall, located near the modern town of Denov in Surxondaryo Region of southern Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ .... It is located in the valley of the Surkhan Darya, a northern tributary of the Oxus (modern Amu Darya). Terracotta statues The site is usually attributed to the early Kushans, or their ancestors the Yuezhi/Tocharians. It was excavated by Galina Pugachenkova between 1959 and 1963. The interior walls are decorated with clay sculptures and paintings dated to the mid-1st century BCE, but they are thought to represent events as early as the 2nd century BCE. Various panels depict scenes of Kushan life: battles, feasts, portraits of rulers. Som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orlat Plaques
The Orlat plaques are a series of bone plaques that were discovered in the mid-1980s in Uzbekistan. They were found during excavations led by Galina Pugachenkova at the cemetery of Orlat, by the bank of the Saganak River (a tributary of the Zeravshan), immediately north of Samarkand. Pugachenkova published her finds in 1989. The left half is decorated with an elaborated battle scene, while on the other side is depicted a hunting scene. The plaques The plaques are thought to have been decorative belt buckles. They are decorated with battle scenes between soldiers armed as cataphracts, and one hunting scene. There are three other plaques, smaller in size, on which are depicted a vulture, fighting Bactrian camels, and warriors. The date and attribution of the plaques are disputed, although the consensus tends to suggest a 1st-century CE date. The plaque with the battle scene depicts a clash with armored warriors. There are soldiers battling on foot, and before them there is a ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Asian Art
Central Asian art is visual art created in Central Asia, in areas corresponding to modern Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and parts of modern Mongolia, China and Russia. The art of ancient and medieval Central Asia reflects the rich history of this vast area, home to a huge variety of peoples, religions and ways of life. The artistic remains of the region show a remarkable combinations of influences that exemplify the multicultural nature of Central Asian society. The Silk Road transmission of art, Scythian art, Greco-Buddhist art, Serindian art and more recently Persianate culture, are all part of this complicated history. From the late second millennium BC until very recently, the grasslands of Central Asia – stretching from the Caspian Sea to central China and from southern Russia to northern India – have been home to migrating herders who practised mixed economies on the margins of sedentary societies. The prehistoric 'animal sty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egg-and-dart
Egg-and-dart, also known as egg-and-tongue, egg-and-anchor, or egg-and-star, is an Ornament (architecture), ornamental device adorning the fundamental quarter-round, convex ovolo profile of molding (decorative), moulding, consisting of alternating details on the face of the ovolo—typically an egg-shaped object alternating with a V-shaped element (e.g., an arrow, anchor, or Dart (missile), dart). The device is carved or otherwise fashioned into ovolos composed of wood, stone, plaster, or other materials. Egg-and-dart enrichment of the ovolo molding of the Ionic order, Ionic capital was used by Ancient Greece, ancient Greek builders, so it is found in ancient Greek architecture (e.g., the Erechtheion at the Acropolis of Athens), was used later by the Romans and continues to adorn capitals of modern buildings built in Classical styles (e.g., the Ionic capitals of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., or the ones of the Romanian Athenaeum from Bucharest). Its ovoid shape (the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
