Belt plaques of the «Isti-Su type»: origin, typology, semantics
https://doi.org/10.18384/2310-676X-2022-5-103-114
Abstract
Aim. To analyze the bird-shaped bronze plaques of the “Isti-Su type” of the eastern variant of the Koban culture dated to the 6th–5th centuries BC.
Methodology. The article summarizes the practical experience of Russian archaeologists’ research into this issue. With the help of historical-typological, stylistic, semiotic methods, the stylistic features of plaques, their origin, typology, and semantics are studied.
Results. There are 2 groups of plaques that differ in proportions, style, ornamentation, and the number of holes for attaching to the belt. The early plaques are marked by the influence of Middle Eastern art, and the later ones by Late Koban and Scythian art. The semantics of their images is associated with the cult of fertility and has prototypes in Middle Eastern art and mythology. Early samples were made to order by Far Eastern masters, and later there were imitations made by local North Caucasian masters.
Research implications. The results of the study summarize the experience of almost 80 years of studying these subjects and contribute to the study of migration processes from the Late Bronze Age to the Scythian period, as well as the mutual influence of the Far Eastern civilizations’ applied art and the archaeological cultures of the North Caucasus.
About the Authors
G. N. Kertseva (Volnaya)
Institute of History and Archeology of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alani
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Galina N. Kertseva (Volnaya) – Cand. Sci. (History), Assoc. Prof., Senior Researcher, Department of Archeology
ul. Vatutina 46, Vladikavkaz 362025, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
R. Yu. Kertsev
Federal Kadyrov Chechen State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ruslan Yu. Kertsev – 1st year student, Department of the History of World Civilizations, Faculty of History
ul. A. Sheripova 32, Grozny 364024, Chechen Republic
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