Essay name: Scythian Elements in early Indian Art
Author:
Swati Ray
Affiliation: University of Calcutta / Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
This essay studies Scythian Elements in early Indian Art鈥攁 topic that has not garnered extensive scholarly attention. Although much research has focused on various aspects of Saka/Scythian culture, such as politics and numismatics, their contribution to Indian art remains underexplored. This essay delves into archaeological evidence, historical texts, and art forms from Eurasian steppes to decipher the Scythian impact.
Chapter 4 - Scythian / Saka Art
109 (of 115)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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were an amalgamation of braided threads, notched threads, granulation
and even tiny, sheet-gold figures. Individually, these elements can be
traced in the eastern section. What happened in the west was the use of all
these elements to emphasize the meticulous working of the gold (as in the
boar shaped pendants), rather than functioning to border a broadly
modelled image.1 The simplest technique of working gold, that of
hammering, was used by both the Scythians' Asian predecessors and by
settled peoples of the ancient Orient and Greece. Nonetheless, heavy
hammered gold is usually ascribed to Near Eastern craftsmanship. Cast
gold, particularly in its massive form, has been associated with
Achaemeni岣� traditions. An interesting Achaemenid vase(Plate 125)2 has
been found from the kurgan of Filippovka. It has made use of both gold and
silver. Gold is inlaid in horizontal strips around the silver body. Where cast
gold occurs in the Scythian art, it is ascribed either to that tradition or to
its working by Greek craftsmen. It is noteworthy to consider whether
Achaemenising or Hellenizing gave a new lease of life to the Scythian art.
"The refined techniques of filigree and granulation are almost always
assumed to be indicators of Greek craftsmanship, even if the workshop in
question is believed to have been somewhere in the Bosporus. By contrast,
indicators of a rough technique, revealed so frequently on the objects or in
鹿 Ibid., p.68.
2 虏 Gol.De.Eur., Pl. 19.
