Nature with Freshness

The nomadic peoples from the Eurasian steppes, such as the Scythians and later the Sarmatians, were noted by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus as being particularly rich with gold. Elaborate jewellery and vessels from this region appear on the market from time to time, such as the sheet-gold elements once attached to a rhyton of horn or wood, embossed with winged monsters and foliate motifs in the unmistakable Scythian style. Since precious metal was often melted down and re-used in later periods, says Murphy, it is all the more incredible that any ancient gold has survived to the present day. The nomadic peoples from the Eurasian steppes, such as the Scythians and later the Sarmatians, were noted by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus as being particularly rich with gold. Elaborate jewellery and vessels from this region appear on the market from time to time, such as the sheet-gold elements once attached to a rhyton of horn or wood, embossed with winged monsters and foliate motifs in the unmistakable Scythian style. Since precious metal was often melted down and re-used in later periods, says Murphy, it is all the more incredible that any ancient gold has survived to the present day.