EARLY SCYTHIAN DAGGER FROM CHORNY LIS

Abstract

In the summer of 2023, an iron Scythian dagger (short sword) was transferred to the storage of the Kamianka State Historical and Cultural Reserve, which was accidentally found on the southwestern edge of the Chorny Lis (Black Forest) near Tsybuleve village, Kropyvnytskyi district, Kirovohrad region.

The find survived very well. The dagger (short sword) is 39.5 cm long, double-edged, with a blade tapering in the last third of its length. Its weight is 515 gr. The width of the cross-bar is 6.2 cm, it is massive, butterfly-shaped, of the so-called Kelermes type. The width of the pommel is bar-shaped — 7.2 cm, it is massive with rounded edges. The rectangular hint is 8.2 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. It is grooved and consists of three parallel rollers, rounded in cross-section and separated by narrow recesses. The blade has a lenticular cross-section. The edges of the blade are parallel to each other and smoothly taper to the point in the last quarter of the length. In the center, a stiffening rib in the form of a protruding line with grooves on both sides is well traced. The peculiarity of this dagger (sword) is the presence of a small loop under the pommel for the lanyard in order not to lose the weapon in a battle. Such loops are recorded only on archaic Scythian akinakes. According to D. Topal, akinakes of the Kelermes type with a loop are characteristic just for Kelermes bladed weapons. However, according to his observations, this technological feature is inherent rather for swords and short swords than daggers which seemed to be their use by cavalry.

Regarding the analogies of a similar type of dagger (short sword), several dagger hilts of similar shape , originating from the territory of Crimea and Seim river basin are known. In particular, these are two daggers of the second half of the 7th century BC found near Kubalach and Mizhhirya of the Biloghir district in the Crimea. Blade weapons with a simple bar-shaped pommel and a butterfly-shaped cross-bar of the Kelermes type are known in the territory of South-Eastern Europe since somewhere from the second half of the 7^th century BC. One of the available assemblages with a similar dagger in the Forest Steppe is the burial near Yasnozirya, barrow 6, grave 1, where a short sword of the Kelermes type with a loop on the hilt was found. The authors of these excavations date this dagger to the middle or second half of the 7^th century BC.

Unfortunately, we do not know the exact location of this dagger (short sword), so it is difficult to say whether this weapon was lost during military events, or comes from a destroyed burial or settlement. However, even this circumstance does not reduce the scientific value of this artifact, which is published as a new example of blade weapons of the Scythian archaic era.