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
21 (of 115)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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squared socket. A poletop terminating in a stag on a spherical bottle (Plate
7) has been found from Makhoshevsky barrow (Kuban, late seventh
century B.C.).This poletop is stylistically a bit different from the others. The
style of the standing stag is similar to that of the stag found from the Altay
region. This poletop is also made of bronze.鹿 An interesting poletop
terminating in the head of a bell-shaped rattle has been found from Ulsky 2
(sixth century B.C.). This impressive bronze bull head has jutting flat ears
and long curved horns. Separating the head from the pear-shaped rattle
section is a thick twisted rope.
Scythian barrows have yielded many wooden vessels. These vessels
were specially ornamented by a variety of gold plaques. Gold plaques for a
wooden-bowl in the form of beak-heads and recumbent deer have been
found from Ak-Mechet, Crimea from early fifth century B.C. The notched
treatment on the lower edge of the beaks and the large rounded eyes and
powerful ceres places this bird motif within a tradition well attested by fifth
century finds from Seven Brothers and from the Dniepr forest-steppe zone.
The plaques are filled with images of recumbent deer with raised antlered
heads. We see relatively realistic treatment of heads, eyes, ears but in its
' Ibid., Fig.116.
