Copyright © 2006 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.

ON A SCYTHIAN/SARMATIAN RECORD ON A BRONZE CAULDRON

by Sergei V. Rjabchikov

A Scythian/Sarmatian inscription is incised on the bottom of a bronze cauldron (the 1st - the 3rd centuries A.D.) from the Zhutovsky barrow No 75 where a Sarmatian grave was placed (near the village Oktyabrsky, the Volgograd region, Russia) (Sergatskov 2004: 147, figure 4 [b]), see figure 1.

Figure 1.

Here there are two symbols. The <-shaped sign is on the right, and the sign "triangle" is on the left. They are the Scythian/Sarmatian signs 77 (a decorative variant) ga, ka and 72 be, pe, bay, pay. I translate these Scythian/Sarmatian words: ga, ka, go, ko mean 'the sun; solar beams; thunderstorm; arrow', and be, pe, bay, pay mean 'beat; beating; strong; to increase; to reproduce'. As has been shown earlier (Rjabchikov 2005: figures 5 and 6), such a combination of symbols is relevant to the ideas of fertility, fire/heat and water/rains.

REFERENCES

Rjabchikov, S.V., 2005. Kubanskie uzory: simvolika Vselennoy. Etno-zhurnal, 2005: http://www.ethnonet.ru/lib/0906-05.html.

Sergatskov, I.V., 2004. Bronzovy kotel iz Zhutovskogo mogil'nika v Volgogradskoy oblasti. Rossiyskaya arkheologiya, No 1, pp. 146-8.

Published 19 May 2006.

Sergei V. Rjabchikov, Krasnodar, RUSSIA.

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