STOLEN JEWELRY FROM THE KHERSON MUSEUM OF LOCAL LORE

Abstract

The Kherson Regional Museum of Local Lore was formed around the collection of antiquities of archaeologist Viktor Goshkevich in 1890. Viktor Goshkevych was a member of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities and an active member of the Ukrainian Archaeological Committee of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. He systematically carried out the excavations in the Southern Ukraine, in particular, he discovered and explored 50 ancient sites, studied Zaporizhzhya Cossacks antiquity and Kamianska Sich as well as Late Scythian hillforts.

At one time, the museum’s collection was so unique and significant that authorities wanted to replace it to Odesa Archaeological Museum but Goshkevich had insisted that it should stay in Kherson.

The museum exhibition presented the most revealing and valuable items of each archaeological culture of the region.

In 2019, a new part of the exhibition was created in the museum — The Golden Treasury. This is a collection of artifacts and objects of fine art made of precious metals. Jewelry from archaeological sites of Scythians, Sarmatians, Late Scythians, Huns, a numismatic collection from ancient to modern times, and church antiquities were kept there.

While fleeing from occupied Kherson in the fall of 2022, Russian troops looted the museum.

The exhibition, restoration workshop, lapidary and the golden treasury were most affected and destroyed. Jewelry from archaeological sites of Zelene, Solontsi, Davydiv Brid and Chervony Mayak, which were exhibited in the golden treasury at the time, has also been stolen.

The first one is the necklace — female gold decoration, consisting of stamped, almost similar elements. They are a relief image of the head, probably of goddess, from the front, with one or two amphora-shaped pendants hung to the ring. The surface of pendants is channeled; the lower part is marked with embossed rims.

This magnificent necklace was found in Scythian barrow grave near Zelene village, and according to the accompanying grave goods date to the first half of the 4^th century BC.

In the next barrow the rectangular plaques of two types were also found. On the first one there is an image of the hare in the relief «wattled» rim; on the second plaque there is the griffin. In the corners of the plaques there are holes for sewing onto metapida — women’s head decoration in the form of a tape.

The images are typical for the Scythian «animal» style of the 4^th century BC.

Solontsi village, accidental finding of rich Sarmatian female grave, the 1^st century BC.

In the exhibition of Kherson museum the golden fibula of Mid-La-Tиne scheme, two spiral golden bracelets, golden earring with lion’s head and cylindrical pendant, two golden clips, cornelian necklace, silver mirror and bronze fibula were shown.

The gold fibula is made of wire, single-term. The spring of the fibula is multi coil, two-sided. The leg is connected to the bracket with ring clips-couplings, with the ornamented central part.

The earring is a type of the ring-shaped ones with heads of animals. These earrings appeared in antique jewelry under Achaemenid influence. There were most popular in the Hellenistic and Late Hellenistic periods. The earring found in Solontsi differs from similar items by ornamentation of the lion’s mane.

The next item — golden finger ring consists of 14 turns of wire, connected together. Each end is terminated by the head of the snake. The upper and lower coils are ornamented with oblique notches.

Clips are made of round wire, the ends of which are soldered. Curved in the form of a bracket, oval on one side, sigmoid on the other.

Two carnelian spherical beads with through cylindrical channels. The bigger bead is set in two gold strips with braided filigree decor, triangular teeth and a smooth gold wire welded on the edge. The smaller bead is set in two strips with the same decor. Similar beads, set in metal, used as amulets. It is possible that Solontsi beads have the same purpose.

Davydiv Brid, the destroyed Sarmatian burial in the barrow, the 1^st century AD.

Each earring consists of two biconical parts of complex configuration connected by cornelian spherical bead. S-shaped wire ornaments and chains with rattles are attached to the pendants. The lower part is decorated with granulation. The top of the earring is a massive ring with the closed ends.

The Chervony Mayak necropolis, burial 128, skeleton 2. The Late Scythian culture, 1^st century AD.

Skeleton 2 of burial 128 was accompanied by rich grave goods: a long necklace with different types of beads and a large bead in the center was recorded on the neck and breast of the buried. In the middle of breast there was a fragment of a bronze mirror broken into two parts. Numerous carnelian beads were scattered on the ribs. On the finger of the right hand there was an iron ring with a bronze insert. The collar, hem, and sleeves of the garment were covered with seed beads. The rims of the sleeves were covered with gold plaques.

The Golden Treasury of the Kherson museum exhibited the golden plaques initially sewn to the sleeve of the clothes of the second woman interred in the burial 128. The plaques were made of gold foil. They were ornamented with two relief circles on the edge and inner side and a small umbo in the center. Each plaque had two holes for sewing. A total of 14 plaques were recorded at the right hand and three at the left hand of skeleton 2. The grave goods allow us to date this burial to the 1^st century AD.

Unfortunately, we no longer have all of these items available. Stealing of museum collections is a grave crime under international law and a crime against the culture.