A pectoral (a breast decoration made from one kilogram of 150 grams of gold) along with other treasures of the Scythian king was discovered 40 years ago in the Dnepropetrovsk region under the Tolstaya Mogila mound. After the Scythian kingdom existed for about 500 years, there remained in the steppes of Ukraine large number mounds (essentially, tombstones), but almost every one of them was plundered in ancient times. The Scythians themselves began to plunder the graves of the rulers: they were attracted by the large amount of gold that was placed in the tombs. Marauders also took over the royal burial place under the Tolstaya Mogila mound. The robbers knew their job: the passage they dug led straight to the burial chamber where the remains of the king rested. It was there, next to the deceased, that the most valuable things should have been located - this is a centuries-old tradition. But in this case, the attackers were disappointed. At least they could not find the pectoral, which is a real masterpiece of ancient jewelry, as well as the sword and whip, the handles of which are made of gold and decorated with magnificent chasing.
The discovery of the pectoral became the reason for a unique case in its own way: the head of Soviet Ukraine, Vladimir Shcherbitsky, invited to a meeting a person who held the position of a junior researcher, and who also did not have an academic degree. The humble worker awarded this honor was Boris Mozolevsky, who later became one of the most famous Russian archaeologists. A man with ebullient energy, despite his low position, which, by the way, he held as a freelancer at the Institute of Archeology, managed to organize and lead the excavations of the Tolstaya Mogila mound.
Boris and I were friends, and he invited me to become his deputy on this expedition,” says the doctor historical sciences Professor Evgeniy Chernenko. - When Boris was called to Kyiv for a meeting with Shcherbitsky, I stayed at the excavations. Upon returning, Mozolevsky said that Vladimir Vasilyevich made a good impression on him. He asked in detail about the excavations, about the things that we found, and asked when the report on the expedition would be published. The meeting was attended by the then director of our Institute of Archeology, Fyodor Pavlovich Shevchenko. A few days before, I told him that Borya and his family live in a hostel, the conditions are approximately the same as what Vladimir Vysotsky said in one of his songs: there is one toilet for 20 rooms. The director immediately realized that the time had come to inform Shcherbitsky that Mozolevsky did not have a separate apartment, so work on the report might take a while. Shcherbitsky looked at Boris Paton, president of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, and asked: “Can you help your comrade or should I do this?” Paton, of course, agreed to help. “What’s your salary?” - Shcherbitsky asked Boris a question. Like junior research fellow he received only 98 rubles a month. "Can the Academy do anything for a comrade?" - Shcherbitsky again turned to Paton. “Maybe,” Boris Evgenievich answered briefly. As a result, Mozolevsky was given a three-room apartment on Nauki Avenue and a personal salary of 200 rubles.
Were the other members of the expedition encouraged?
Boris, me, our guardian angel, director of the Ordzhonikidze manganese plant Grigory Lukich Sereda (if he had not helped with equipment, the excavations would have been impossible), as well as the first secretary of the Ordzhonikidze city party committee, Yuri Krushinsky, were presented with a gold watch with the inscription “Vchd For the sake of the Mchnchstrchv URSR.” 35 years have passed since then, and my watch works properly. In addition, we were given big bonuses. I remember Borya received 500 rubles, I received 300 (these were my two monthly salaries).
Well, did you enlist Mozolevsky on the staff of the Institute of Archeology?
Of course, even before the trip to meet with Shcherbitsky. The director of our institute, Fyodor Shevchenko, the deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, Pyotr Tronko, the vice-president of the Academy of Sciences, Ivan Bilodid, and some other authorities came to the excavations to look at the pectoral. On this occasion local authorities They arranged a reception. So I decided to remind the director that Boris is still a freelance employee. And Fyodor Pavlovich said: “Mozolevsky is on staff.” "Since when?" - I was surprised. - “Yes, they accepted it five minutes ago.”
Mozolevsky came to archeology quite late - at the age of 30. In his youth he entered military school pilots in Yeisk, in the Krasnodar region. But he had to abandon his studies due to the wholesale reduction in the size of the army under Khrushchev. Then Boris became a part-time student at the Faculty of History of Kyiv state university named after Taras Shevchenko. He studied, worked as a fireman, and wrote poetry. Mozolevsky was a talented poet. After receiving his diploma, he got a job as an editor at the Naukova Dumka publishing house and as a freelancer at the Institute of Archeology.
"The queen's dress was trimmed with thousands of gold scales"
Did the members of the expedition feel that a stunning “catch” awaited them in the Tolstaya Mogila mound?
Mozolevsky then repeated a kind of incantation dozens, if not hundreds of times: “Oh, it will be there, it will be great and it will be brilliant!” Looking ahead, I’ll tell you about an indicative episode: after returning from the excavations of Tolstoy Mogila to Kyiv, Boris started talking about the upcoming expedition to the Zhelto-Kamenka mound. He passionately argued that rich finds awaited us there too, and even wrote a playful receipt: “I, Boris Nikolaevich Mozolevsky, promise that in such and such a mound will be found...” Then came a long list of treasures.
Boris had a talent for instilling faith in success. If not for his persistence, Tolstaya Mogila would still remain unexcavated or even perish, since it is located in the middle of a holiday village. Frankly, at that time many Scythologists gave up on this mound. In the 1960s, we had the following story: in three months, 25 mounds were excavated, spending 50 thousand rubles, and all the finds (arrowheads) were placed in a matchbox. In principle, it was impossible to find anything more in those mounds, since they were not Scythian, they were poured back in the Bronze Age, when only arrows and food were placed in the graves. Our teacher, Boris and I, Alexey Ivanovich Terenozhkin, figured out how to distinguish mounds different eras. To do this, soil samples are taken from depth using hand drills. So, two samples in the Tolstaya Mogila mound did not confirm that it was Scythian. Boris was not embarrassed by this. In the fall of 1970, despite the bad weather, he went to Ordzhonikidze. Together with the workers, I drilled the mound twice more (it is very heavy manual labor) - the result is disappointing. I decided: one more try and that’s it. Fortunately, the last test was positive. From that moment on, a streak of luck began. In March, after heavy rains, a manganese quarry was flooded. Work there was suspended, and the already mentioned Sereda called Boris: “I’ll give you a few graders (huge earth-moving machines - Author).” They demolished the mound and began archaeological excavations. Based on the stains on the ground, we determined that there were two burials under the mound - in the center and on the side. A passage made by robbers led to the central one, where the pectoral was later found. We left this tomb for later, and first of all we took care of the side one, because there were no signs that the looters had reached it.
However, it later turned out that the “unauthorized” passage also leads to the side tomb. “And robbers visited here,” archaeologists lamented. Mozolevsky described the feelings that gripped him then: “The earth and sky changed places before my eyes. Not remembering myself from resentment, I crawled out of the hole, walked to some bushes and, like a boy, burst into tears.” When the members of the expedition went to bed in the evening, Mozolevsky remained in the excavation and worked until he found a niche with bronze dishes and food remains. All this was in order.
Boris perked up again,” continues Evgeniy Chernenko. - And the next day, when the director of the manganese plant Sereda came to us, Boris performed a real performance in front of him. We went down into the excavation, and Mozolevsky said to Sereda: “Here’s a knife for you. Poke it anywhere, and I’ll find some golden thing there.” Sereda remarked skeptically: “What are you playing around with, Boris?” But Mozolevsky needed only this: he knew where the body of the person buried here should lie (as it later turned out, a young Scythian queen), and chose a point. He dug into the ground with a knife and took out a gold plate. Then he poked it in another place, saying: “I’ll dig up gold here too,” and dug it out. The Scythian woman's clothing was almost completely lined with thin, foil-like gold scales - hundreds of them! This was the first Scythian female grave discovered by archaeologists that was not plundered by looters! We found a lot of gold things there. In particular, around the queen’s neck was a gold hryvnia weighing 478.5 grams. On it are sculptured figures of two deer, each of which is being chased by seven lions. By the way, in Scythian times - and this is the period from the 7th to the 3rd centuries BC - lions were found in the steppes of the Black Sea region. As for the move, which we initially mistook for robbery, it turned out that several years after the death of the queen it was dug to bury a child. In the tomb we found the remains of four more people - they were servants, including a girl. They were killed during the burial ceremony.
“A palm-thick layer of soil separated the robbers from the king’s treasures.”
After the discovery of the unlooted tomb of the queen, we immediately set up a police post, they even ran a telephone line to us,” recalls Evgeniy Chernenko. - The skeletons and all the things found were removed along with the soil - a single block.
The central tomb, where the king was buried, was located at a great depth - 8.5 meters from the field level - therefore, in addition to scientists and workers, miners took part in the expedition. Excavations here were difficult due to collapses, and there was water at the bottom of the tomb. I had to dig a hole to drain it. A few centimeters from the place where the robbers were operating, we found the king’s ceremonial things and the main one - the pectoral. This happened on June 21, 1971 at 14:30. Boris felt the floor with his hands, digging in the clay, and suddenly, painfully, until it bled, he scratched his hand on something. He called me, and together we began to free this object from clay. They saw that it was golden with small figures of people and animals. When they finally cleared the thing, Boris asked: “What could it be?” The day before I finished working on the book “Scythian Armor,” so I immediately realized: “This is a pectoral. It could be part of a warrior’s protective ammunition or decoration. This is decoration, and a royal one at that.” At that time, the word “pectoral” was unknown to the general public. But soon, thanks to the press, everyone recognized him. The name "Pectoral" was given to the hotel and restaurant of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, as well as the Kiev Theater Prize.
The find was washed here, underground, in a hole dug to drain water. They brought it out into the daylight, began to look at it and kiss it in joy!
The pectoral was well preserved - it lay underground for 2300 years, as if in a safe. True, it was slightly bent (it was then taken for restoration to the Hermitage and Germany), in addition, the enamel with which it was covered was almost peeling off. floral ornament. Based on the remains of the enamel, the original pectoral can be easily distinguished from two copies - they were made by Hermitage masters for foreign exhibitions. Each copy cost about six thousand rubles.
And yet, why couldn’t the robbers find the most valuable things?
The treasures were placed where the Scythians usually did not place anything valuable - in the dromos. This is a small room in front of the burial chamber. Only a few centimeters of soil separated the robbers from the gold - a distance the width of a palm.
There is one almost mystical circumstance in this story: in the dromos lay the remains of the royal guard (the Scythians killed him so that he would accompany the ruler in the afterlife). It turns out that this warrior did serve a service: he seemed to become an obstacle on the way of marauders to the king’s gold.
How did you celebrate the discovery of the treasure?
Not creative - drinking. By the way, Boris liked to say: for the excavations to be successful, you should definitely have a drink and spend the night on the mound. But not alone - with a beautiful girl.
The famous Kiev archaeologist, Boris Mozolevsky, who discovered the famous Scythian cup in the Gaimanova grave, soon made another outstanding discovery.
In February 1971, B.N. Mozolevsky discovered another Scythian mound 10 kilometers from the famous Scythian mound Chertomlyk, not far from Nikopol. When manually drilling a mound, which local residents called the Thick Grave (its height is 9 meters and diameter 70 meters), archaeologist Boris Mozolevsky discovered clay at a depth of 7 meters - this is a sure sign of a Scythian grave.
There was preparation for archaeological excavations: a huge mound had to be cleared of the upper embankment, which is 15,000 cubic meters of earth. Under the removed top layer, archaeologists discovered two tombs in the form of deep catacombs dating back to a later burial. 
Archaeologists surrounded the mound with a wide ditch, in which they found traces of a grand funeral funeral feast; there were many animal bones: wild pigs, horses, deer. Estimated from the remains of animals, the weight of the meat eaten during the funeral was approximately 13 tons. If we take into account that the funeral feast of the Scythians lasted several days, then at least 3,000 people took part in the commemoration at Tolstoy’s grave.
First, archaeologists examined the side tomb, in which they first discovered a utility niche with bronze utensils and the remains of sacrificial food, then the burial of a young Scythian queen in rich outfits, in a headdress, clothes and shoes embroidered with large gold plates. The neck of the Scythian queen was decorated with a massive golden hryvnia with seven figures of lions stalking a young deer. The weight of the hryvnia is 478 g. pure gold. The queen's hands are studded with gold rings and three wide gold bracelets, on her temples there are large gold pendants depicting a goddess with her hands raised in prayer, about 600 gold plaques were scattered around.
Next to the “queen” a two-year-old child was buried in a wooden sarcophagus trimmed with alabaster; apparently, he died later than his mother and one entrance was dug for his burial. At the head of the young prince there were three precious miniature silver vessels for drinking wine: a goblet, a kiliki rhyton. In the child’s hand lay a large gold bracelet - a symbol of power. A belt embroidered with gold buttons was placed in a wooden sarcophagus.
The prince's neck was decorated with a gold hryvnia, on his ring finger right hand- a small gold ring, gold earrings glittered in his ears. All the clothes of the young prince were embroidered with gold plaques.
Ritual gold jewelry was made specifically for funerals; they were used to decorate the clothes of the dead.
Together with the deceased queen and prince, their brutally murdered servants were buried: a servant girl, 
a female cook, a warrior-guard and a young charioteer; the attributes corresponding to their occupations were laid out around them.
Archaeologists discovered that the central part, where the Scythian king was buried, was visited by robbers who broke through a 22-meter hole.
Despite the fact that this part of the grave collapsed, the robbers managed to find and take away ceremonial utensils, royal weapons, and jewelry.
And yet the Tolstaya Grave remains the richest of all the known royal Scythian mounds; the total weight of gold jewelry found in it is 4500 grams. gold, this far exceeds the weight of gold found in the Kul-Oba mound, near Kerch (Panticopeia, Bosporan Kingdom). 
Near the entrance to the burial chamber, in the dromos (corridor), lay a royal sword with a gold hilt, sheathed in gold relief decorations, with scenes of animal fights in the traditional Scythian “animal style.” Under the crosshairs of the sword they stand in a heraldic pose fighting cocks- this is a rather unusual and completely new subject in Scythian art.
The bottom row depicts a fantastic griffin tearing apart a deer, a lion and a griffin attacking a horse from both sides, and even lower - a leopard attacking a deer and a duel between a lion and a leopard. All scenes of animal fights are made in the same “animal style”. 
On the ledge for hanging the sword from the sword belt there is a depiction of a fantastic horned griffin with a lion's head and a snake's head on its tail. The images of animals are full of dynamics and very realistic, all the smallest details are very clearly worked out.
In the Tolstoy grave, Boris Mozolevsky found an unheard of treasure: royal ceremonial breast decoration - golden pectoral
. This is true brilliant creation ancient toreutics (Greek Toreutikos) - the art of relief processing of artistic metal products. Now this work of art has gained worldwide fame. 
The weight of the pectoral is 1150 grams of gold, its diameter is 30.6 cm.
The golden royal pectoral is a symbol of the sun (kolo), consisting of three circles of the world. The first circle depicts the everyday life of the Scythians, the wealth of the Scythians is livestock, the second circle depicts meadow flowers, forest herbs, a dense forest, and the third circle depicts wild animals living in a dense forest. 
The golden pectoral is a symbol of royal power. By putting on the pectoral, the Scythian king became the center solar circle and peace. The self-name of the Scythians, according to Herodotus, is chipped - in this word the root “kolo” is clearly heard - the sun. “S koloit” may have meant “going with the sun” or “following the sun,” because the settlement of the Scythian tribes went from east to west, that is, the Scythians always followed “the sun.”
The pectoral consists of four tubes twisted into a bundle, fastened at the ends with a clasp in the form of lion heads. The entire pectoral is horizontally divided into three tiers, filled with numerous images of people and animals, the middle tier is decorated with flowers and plants.
In the lower tier of the pectoral scenes of animal struggle are depicted, the central part is occupied by griffins tormenting horses, on the sides in the lower tier there are pectorals of a lion and a leopard tormenting a deer and a wild boar, then there is a scene of dogs chasing hares and, finally, in the very corner there are two grasshoppers sitting opposite each other. . 
The scenes are especially interesting peaceful life Scythians depicted in the upper tier. Its discoverer, archaeologist Boris Mozolevsky, called the royal pectoral “an extensive symphony about life in the ideas of Scythian society.”
In the center are two half-naked Scythians holding a sheep's skin and a golden fleece in their hands and having a peaceful conversation. One of them touches soft sheep wool with his hand, as if checking its quality, he long hair tied with a tight leather bandage, such as craftsmen usually use while working. The second Scythian holds a sheep's skin and, pointing with his finger, says something. 
Their weapons lie nearby, peaceful life flows calmly around: on the right a foal sucks the milk of a mare, next to a piglet, a young Scythian, a teenager milking a sheep, goats grazing in the meadow; on the left are a cow with a calf, a woman with her hair pinned up, holding a sharp-bottomed amphora with milk. 
The big picture pastoral Scythian life is completed by birds flying in different directions. 
It seems as if all the animals are roaming freely in the space of the pectoral.
What technique did the master use to give volume to all the depicted scenes?
Take a closer look and you will see that the sheep (on the left) does not touch the ground, as if lifted into space, the master attached it to the upper tier behind its back. And the horse, walking freely and scratching its hoof, slightly lowered its head and did not touch the upper tier at all. All the figures are arranged freely and not symmetrically, as in life, occupying the entire space.
The plot depicted on the pectoral is undoubtedly based on real images of Scythians engaged in familiar, everyday activities, surrounded by the natural beauty of flowers and grasses, on which herds of domestic animals graze.
Each miniature sculpture of a golden Scythian pectoral is undoubtedly a masterpiece of unsurpassed skill by a Scythian master from the Northern Black Sea region of the 4th century BC.
The golden royal pectoral made its triumphal procession across many continents and countries of the world, causing delight and admiration for all who were lucky enough to admire it.
Currently, the Scythian golden royal pectoral from the Tolstoy Mogila is kept in Kyiv, in Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine.
The worst thing is that exactly a year ago, in November 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, by order N884, liquidated the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine. Museum with the same name in Kyiv no longer exists, despite all the protests of museum workers around the world.
and the golden royal pectoral?
Famous Kyiv archaeologist, Boris Mozolevsky, who discovered the famous Scythian cup, soon made another outstanding discovery.
In February 1971, B.N. Mozolevsky discovered another Scythian mound 10 kilometers from the famous one near Nikopol. While manually drilling the mound, which the locals called (its height is 9 meters and diameter 70 meters), archaeologist Boris Mozolevsky discovered clay at a depth of 7 meters - this is a sure sign of a Scythian grave.
Archaeological excavations had to be prepared: a huge mound had to be cleared from the upper embankment, and this 15,000 cubic meters of land. Under the removed top layer, archaeologists discovered two tombs in the form of deep catacombs dating back to a later burial.
Archaeologists surrounded the mound with a wide ditch, in which they found traces of a grandiose funeral feast, there were a lot of animal bones here: wild pigs, horses, deer. Found from animal remains The weight of the meat eaten during the funeral was approximately 13 tons. If we take into account that the funeral feast of the Scythians lasted several days, then At least 3,000 people took part in the commemoration at Tolstoy Grave. 
First, archaeologists examined the side tomb, in which a utility niche with bronze utensils and remains of sacrificial food was first discovered, then burial of a young Scythian queen in rich outfits, in a headdress, clothes and shoes embroidered with large gold plates. The neck of the Scythian queen was decorated with a massive golden hryvnia with seven lion figures stalking a young deer. The weight of the hryvnia is 478 g. pure gold. The queen's hands are studded with gold rings and three wide gold bracelets, on her temples there are large gold pendants depicting a goddess with her hands raised in prayer, about 600 gold plaques were scattered around.
Next to the “queen” a two-year-old child was buried in a wooden sarcophagus trimmed with alabaster; apparently, he died later than his mother and another entrance was dug for his burial. At the head of the young prince stood three precious miniature silver vessels for drinking wine: cup, kylix and rhyton. In the child's hand lay a large gold bracelet- a symbol of power. A belt embroidered with gold buttons was placed in a wooden sarcophagus.
The prince's neck was decorated with a golden hryvnia, on the ring finger of his right hand there was a small gold ring, and gold earrings glittered in his ears. All the clothes of the young prince were embroidered with gold plaques.
Ritual gold jewelry was made specifically for funerals; they were used to decorate the clothes of the dead.
Together with the deceased queen and prince, their brutally murdered servants were buried: a girl servant, a female cook, a warrior-guard and a young charioteer; attributes corresponding to their occupations were laid out around them.
Archaeologists have discovered that in the central part of the Scythian mound there is a Tolstaya grave, where he was buried Scythian king, There were robbers who broke through a 22-meter hole.
Despite the fact that this part of the grave collapsed, the robbers managed to find and take away ceremonial utensils, royal weapons, and jewelry.
And yet the Tolstaya Grave remains the richest of all the known royal Scythian burial mounds; the total weight of gold jewelry found in it is equal to 4500 gr. gold, this far exceeds the weight of gold found in the Kul-Oba mound, near Kerch (Panticopeia, Bosporan Kingdom).
Near the entrance to the burial chamber, in the dromos (corridor) lay royal sword with a golden hilt, sheathed, covered with gold relief decorations, with scenes of animal fights in the traditional Scythian “animal style”. 
Under the crosshairs of the sword they stand in a heraldic pose fighting cocks- this is a rather unusual and completely new subject in Scythian art.
Shown in the bottom row fantastic griffin tearing apart a deer, lion and griffin, attacking a horse from both sides, even lower - a leopard attacking a deer and a duel between a lion and a leopard. All scenes of animal fights are made in the same “animal style”.
The ledge for hanging the sword from the sword belt depicts a fantastic horned griffin with a lion's head, on the tail of which is a snake's head. The images of animals are full of dynamics and very realistic, all the smallest details are very clearly worked out.
Boris Mozolevsky found something unheard of in the Tolstoy grave treasure: royal ceremonial breast decoration - golden pectoral. This is a truly brilliant creation of ancient toreutics (Greek: Toreutikos) - the art of relief processing of artistic metal products. Now this work of art has gained worldwide fame.
The weight of the pectoral is 1150 grams of gold, its diameter is 30.6 cm.
The golden royal pectoral represents symbol of the sun (colo), consisting of three circles of the world.
The golden pectoral is a symbol of royal power. By putting on the pectoral, the Scythian king became the center of the solar circle and the world. The self-name of the Scythians, according to Herodotus, is chipped - in this word one can clearly hear the root “kolo” - the sun. “S koloit” may have meant “going with the sun” or “following the sun,” because the settlement of the Scythian tribes went from east to west, that is, the Scythians always followed “the sun.”
The pectoral consists of four tubes twisted into a bundle, fastened at the ends with a clasp in the form of lion heads. The entire pectoral is divided horizontally into three tiers.
The serene, peaceful life of the Scythians fills the entire space of the upper tier of the Scythian royal pectoral. The upper tier depicts the Scythian kings, their families, and all the wealth of the Scythians - livestock - cows, goats, sheep, horses.
The second circle of the pectoral depicts a dense forest around a Scythian settlement, full of forest herbs, flowers, grasshoppers and hares.
In the third circle of the royal pectoral, behind the dense forest, meadows and grasses, wild animals lurked - lions, fantastic winged Scythian dragons, guarding gold and all the riches of the Scythians.
Particularly interesting scenes of the peaceful life of the Scythians, depicted in the upper tier. « An expanded symphony about life in the ideas of Scythian society" the royal pectoral was named by its discoverer, an archaeologist Boris Mozolevsky.
In the center are depicted two half-naked Scythians holding a sheep's skin in their hands, golden fleece and leading a peaceful conversation. One of them touches the soft sheep's wool with his hand, as if checking its quality, his long hair is pulled tight a leather bandage, such as craftsmen usually use while working.
Second Scythian, holding a sheep's skin and, pointing his finger at something, says something. His curly hairstyle is somewhat different with well-combed curls, but the beards and mustaches of the Scythians are trimmed the same. The faces of the Scythians have obvious Slavic features.
Next to the Scythians peacefully talking lies their weapon - a bow in a quiver with arrows, peaceful life flows calmly around them.
On the right, a foal sucks the milk of a mare, and a piglet lies nearby. A young beardless Scythian, just a teenager, with a bowl cut, as has been customary since ancient times in Rus' , milks a sheep, near grazing in the meadow goats.
Shown on the left cow with calf, The second calf lies next to her. A woman with her hair pinned up is holding a sharp-bottomed amphora with milk.
What technique did the master use to give volume to all depicted scenes of the peaceful life of the Scythians?
Take a closer look and you will see that the sheep (on the left of the pectoral) does not touch the ground at all as if hanging in space, the master attached it behind his back to the upper tier.
And the horse, walking freely and scratching its front leg with its hoof, slightly lowered its head and did not touch the upper tier at all. All the numerous figures of people and animals are arranged freely and asymmetrically, they are all in calm and natural movement, as in life. It seems as if all domestic animals are roaming freely in the space of the upper tier of the pectoral.
The middle tier is decorated with flowers, birds, grasshoppers and plants. The overall picture of pastoral Scythian life is completed by birds flying in different directions.
The lower tier of the pectoral depicts scenes of animal fights, the central part is occupied by six winged griffins tormenting three horses.
On the sides in the lower tier of the pectoral lion and leopard tormenting deer and wild boar, the next scene is dogs chasing hares and finally, in the very corner, two grasshoppers were hiding, sitting opposite each other.
The plot depicted on the pectoral is undoubtedly based on real images of Scythians engaged in familiar, everyday activities, surrounded by the natural beauty of flowers and grasses, on which herds of domestic animals graze.
Each miniature sculpture of a golden Scythian pectoral is undoubtedly a masterpiece of unsurpassed skill by a Scythian master from the Northern Black Sea region of the 4th century BC.
The golden royal pectoral made its triumphal procession across many continents and countries of the world, causing delight and admiration for all who were lucky enough to admire it.
Until now, the Scythian golden royal pectoral from Tolstoy Mogila was kept in Kyiv, at the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine.
The worst thing is that exactly a year ago, in November 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, by order N884, liquidated the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine. Museum with the same name in Kyiv no longer exists, despite all the protests of museum workers around the world.
Where now to look for Scythian treasures and the golden royal pectoral?
The golden pectoral is the gold of the Scythians!
The golden Scythian pectoral was found in 1971 by Boris Mozolevsky, a Kyiv scientist in a Scythian mound not far from the city of Ordzhonikidze, Dnepropetrovsk region. It is now one of the most valuable Ukrainian archaeological sites, estimated to be worth more than $2 million. And its value is not only that it weighs about one and a half kilograms of gold, but that it carries a certain encrypted meaning from the Scythians and dates back to the 5th century BC. Now she is in Kyiv - in the city historical museum, under great security, but nevertheless anyone can see it in a small glass box by visiting the museum. The entrance to the museum is almost symbolic.
The golden pectoral is a Scythian decoration that was made for a Scythian king or queen. Throughout the world, this excavation is one of the most valuable excavations of the 20th century, and scientists around the world are trying to unravel it. Some see the excavation as a calendar, others as a message from the Scythians to future generations, and others see it as a map. The golden pectoral consists of a hundred different figures, each of which means something. These are mainly animal figures, but upon closer examination even Egyptian pyramids on the forehead of one of the bulls. Scientists are amazed by the precision and skill with which the golden pectoral was made back in the 5th century BC.
Golden pectoral - decoration of the Scythians The Scythians were a powerful and formidable people who inhabited many modern countries Europe and Asia, there were also nomadic Scythians. It is believed that there were indigenous Scythians in Crimea, and that there was the capital of the Scythian state. Quite recently, excavations began in Crimea near the Ak-Kaya rock, where, by all indications, there was a Scythian settlement. Some archaeologists believe that this was the capital of the Scythian state.
Thanks to in an unusual way burials of the Scythian people, many archaeological treasures of the Scythians have survived to this day. They buried respected people in mounds, leaving gold, jewelry and weapons of the deceased there. For a long time, scientists did not know what exactly these mounds represented. Either they were used somehow in war, or for agriculture. But when scientists found a golden pectoral in the Dnepropetrovsk region, it became clear that Scythians were buried in the mounds. Many mounds were excavated by the then government, and to this day no one knows the total amount of archaeological treasures that were there. But most of the valuables from official excavations ended up in museums. Many mounds were plundered by black archaeologists. Even now there are many mounds in the territories of steppe Ukraine, in the Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions. Official archaeological excavations have already been carried out in all of them, but black archaeologists are still continuing their work and excavating the mounds again, hoping to find the Scythian treasure. Many people are still haunted by the golden pectoral, which was so easily found near an ordinary small town in the Dnepropetrovsk region. This mound is now called Tolstaya Mogila, and the man who found it became famous throughout the world, this is Boris Mozolevsky. But the path to this mound was suggested to him by ordinary peasants, when, while cultivating a field, they found several Scythian coins and told archaeologists about it. Mozolevsky received many honors and even an apartment in Kyiv for this find. It was so highly appreciated because the Tolstaya Mogila mound was excavated more than once, back in ancient times, many passages were dug there, and at the same time the scientist managed to find this masterpiece of the jewelry art of the ancient Scythians.
THE SECRET OF THE SCYTHIAN PECTORAL The discovery of the treasury of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was recognized as the largest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. But few people know that in the steppes of Ukraine, in the early 70s, a burial ground was found, which in its significance and wealth is not inferior to the Egyptian heritage. We are talking about excavations of a Scythian mound near Kerch. Great people, who spread his possessions from Eastern Europe to the Asian deserts, left behind many secrets and mysteries. The main artifact of the Scythian tribe was the royal Pectoral... The steppes of Ukraine, glorified by Gogol, Shevchenko and Bryusov, are full of hills. Here and there you can find a mound, which is a silent monument to some event. These graves are surrounded by a veil of mystery and superstition. Popular legends say that the Cossacks buried their killed comrades, filling the earth with their own hats. And before them, mounds were erected by tribes that roamed these steppes long before the glorious exploits of the warriors of the Zaporozhye Sich. Nomads came to the banks of the Don back in the 3rd millennium BC. These were tribes of cattle breeders, hunters, and warriors. They learned for the first time the sharpness of copper weapons. They forever inscribed their names in the pages of history. The Cimmerians gave way to the Sklots. The Sklotes left under pressure from the Scythians. And the Scythians founded their great kingdom, in the middle of the “corridor” between Asia and Europe. It was the rulers of Scythia who owned the first mounds, which look like pyramids. The mighty rulers found their final rest in them. Herodotus, who visited ancient Scythia, was amazed by the wealth of this people. He was even more surprised by the pomp and splendor with which the deceased kings were buried. They sent wives, servants, horses, utensils, and sometimes entire caravans with them to the next world. All so that the king appears before his ancestors in a proper form. The Kul-Oba mound, located a few kilometers from Kerch, began to be excavated back in 1830. Already the first layers of the earth were filled to capacity with decorations made by the ancient Greeks. There was gold, silver, magnificent vases. Even earrings with the head of the goddess Athena. The mound was examined for many years. He brought many interesting exhibits that ended up in the storage facilities of Ukrainian museums. But what Boris Mozolevsky found turned out to be a sensation. As a freelance employee of the Kyiv Institute of Archeology, he enthusiastically took up the excavation of the Tolstaya Mogila mound, which his colleagues had long given up on. They believed that there could be nothing there worth attention, focusing his gaze on the more “promising” southern tombs. The excavation of the mound began by accident. A pile of earth prevented the Dnepropetrovsk mining plant from expanding its production. The law did not allow the mound to simply be demolished, so they asked archaeologists to “quickly excavate it.” In the cold February steppe, under powerful gusts of wind, two dozen romantic historians entered into a confrontation with the mound. For two weeks, Mozolevsky and his comrades woke up at 5 am and dug tirelessly until 4 pm, looking at every piece of land. Seeing the torment of the archaeologists, the director of the plant, Grigory Seredy, took pity and allocated a bulldozer. Work has become easier. Suddenly, on the southern slope, scientists came across an amazingly beautiful chariot, which was decorated with bronze plates and hung with bells. Every inch of the cart was covered with patterns. The institute realized that the mound was worth the effort and allocated an additional detachment. The further they delved into the soil, the more ancient riches they found. They escaped the fate of the tomb robbers. The heir to the Scythian throne was buried in this place. He lay in an amazingly beautiful alabaster sarcophagus. His body was covered with jewelry. Nearby was the grave of the mother, who rested in a luxurious golden dress embroidered with animal faces. Around her neck she wore a massive gold hoop in the shape of a lion's mane. Even experienced archaeologists did not expect such finds. Finally the time came for the main chamber, where the king rested. But looters had already been there. The scientists were sadly winding down their work when Mozolevsky suddenly looked at the clay floor and noticed a hiding place. With all possible caution, he moved the slab and... “On June 21, 1971, at 14:30, near the town of Ordzhonikidze, Dnepropetrovsk region, Boris Mozolevsky found a gold pectoral - a breast decoration of a Scythian king of the 4th century BC - weighing 1150 grams, 30.6 cm in diameter, made of 958 gold." You can find this phrase in any archeology textbook. It was wonderful work art that came from the hand of a Greek master. Nothing like this had ever been found on the territory of Ukraine before. The pectoral consisted of four hollow tubes, gracefully intertwined. They formed a kind of frame. Each tube was crowned with the head of a small lion, which clutched a ring in its mouth. Laces were passed through them. On them, the decoration was hung around the neck of the king. The pectoral had three tiers, which reflected the ancient Scythians’ idea of the structure of the Universe. Lower tier - battle of fantastic wild beasts - the world of elements, wildlife, the world of the underworld, where the roots of the tree come from, and where everything is led sooner or later. Middle tier - blue flowers, birds - the world of the living. Above was the life of nomads. Their life, their exploits and simple deeds. Of course, the pectoral was a magical and religious symbol that was worshiped by nomads. But the meaning of the pectoral has not been revealed to this day. The author of this majestic jewelry miracle is ancient Hellene, descendant of the Greeks of the Mediterranean. He was a real Master, he handled not only metal perfectly, but also knew perfectly well the beliefs and customs of the Scythians. Presumably the people depicted on the pectoral had real prototypes. Maybe among them there are customers of this miracle. Now it is kept in the Kiev Museum of Historical Antiquities of Ukraine. There is also a copy installed in Donetsk on Theater Square. It is included in the Scythian composition. And also, to this day, as the highest theater award Ukraine uses an exact copy of the pectoral from the Tolstaya Mogila mound. The name of Boris Mozolevsky is forever inscribed in the history of archeology. He became a candidate of historical sciences and taught at his native institute until the end of his life.