Finds of pre-Scythian bimetallic daggers in the vicinity of Stavropol and in the adjacent areas

Abstract

The article is devoted to the description of four bimetallic daggers of the pre-Scythian time, discovered in the vicinity of Stavropol and in the adjacent regions. Two perfectly preserved daggers have an iron blade and a solid bronze (cruciform) handle with a mushroom-shaped pommel and a straight crosshair. The items date back to the 9th — 8th centuries BCE. The third dagger was found on the Strizhament mountain (35 km south of Stavropol). The object is represented by a fragment of an iron blade and a bronze handle with a helical corrugation of the barrel, topped with a hemispherical head — characteristic of the 8th century BCE. The fourth dagger was found in burial 193 of burial ground No. 1 of the Grushevsky settlement (south-western outskirts of Stavropol). On Mount Strizhament, a bronze oar-shaped scabbard was found. The paddle blades are pentagon-shaped. The object is similar to similar arrowheads from the monuments of the North Caucasus of the 9th — 8th centuries BCE. The discovery of a significant number of items 8th — beginning of the 7th century BCE, including bimetallic daggers, in the vicinity of the city of Stavropol, according to the author, indicates the existence of a center for the production of weapons (and horse harness) on the territory of the Stavropol Upland at the indicated time.

Keywords

• central ciscaucasia
• stavropol upland
• pre-scythian period
• cimmerians
• koban culture tribes
• bimetal dagger
• blade
• hilt
• metal working