A Scythian sword decorated with a gold handle was found only during the control cleaning of the catacomb, which seemed to have been plundered the day before.. A golden pendant in the shape of a goddess's head was found in the last clods of earth at the exit from the mound.. Vitaly Otroshchenko, who at one time was a member of the excavations of the Kerch, Kakhovka and Zaporozhye expeditions, spoke about the details of his archaeological activities in the 70s and the secrets of Scythian gold in an interview with Suspіlny.

One of the versions says that the aforementioned decoration depicts Demeter, there are holes behind the tiny decoration for fixing. Therefore, jewelers assume that the golden goddess is part of a necklace or breast decoration.. Found in one of the Great Belozersky mounds of the Zaporozhye region, dates back to the 4th century BC.

Pendant in the shape of Demeter's head. 4th century BC. Find from Kurgan 2 in Velyka Belozerka / Photo: National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

“The necklace, most likely, was taken by the robbers, and this head fell out. It is believed that the most perfect artistic Scythian things are the works of Greek jewelers commissioned by the Scythians, taking into account the spiritual needs of the latter,” reveals the details of one of the finds Otroshchenko.

Another interesting specimen is a blue-gold decoration for a horse with a hunting scene typical of the Scythians depicted on it.. She comes from a mound near the village of Gyunovka. The decoration dates from about the 3rd-4th centuries BC.. This conclusion was made by analyzing the performance style - openwork. This is how it was common in the region in those days..

horse head decoration.

End of the 4th century. BC. Kurgan 11 near the village of Gyunovka. Photo: National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

In the Soviet period, the combination of blue and yellow did not suit museum workers from an ideological point of view, so the substrate was made black. However, today, during its reconstruction, they returned to the authentic color..

Previously, archaeologists discovered a Roman bowl made of colored glass in the ancient city of the Netherlands..