Highly-Artistic Embroidery in the Decor of Horse Equipment from the Elite Burial in Kazakh Altay

Abstract

The paper presents the results of an in-depth study in terms of cultural studies and art history of the unique finding, which was considered in the previous paper – the fragment of a saddle coat with embroidery. The authors give a general description and interpretation of the scene with the torment of a herbivore by predators. It is depicted on the saddle cover from the barrow no. 11 of the Berel burial ground in Kazakh Altay. Due to the painstaking work of specialists from the restoration laboratory “Ostrov Krym”, materials were gathered that replenished the collection of the ancient nomadic art masterpieces. Besides, the information base for further studies of religious and mythological representations of the Pazyryk population was strengthened. Probable, a victim in the scene from the mound no. 11 is a mummered horse, the scene conveys the idea of the life and death cycle, which was traditional for the Early Iron Age, revival through death.

Keywords

• archaeology
• Kazakh Altay
• Early Iron Age
• culture
• ancient art
• mythology
• sacrifice