Plate depicts an image of a deer in profile to the right. He sits in the traditional pose with raised head and folded legs. It is found in the burial of the noble Scythian woman. Along with similar plaques it decorated her headdress, as evidenced by their location in the grave. The plate is an example of the Scythian animal style of the archaic period, which is characterized by peculiar techniques in the depicting of animals. Animals were depicted only in traditional poses, this style was also characterized by a harmonious combination of life realism with the stylization of individual details of the image, their generalization or concretization.
In the religious ideas of the Scythians the deer was a symbol of the sun and fertility, associated with the tree of life. Also anything decorated in an animal style was considered a talisman against misfortune and evil. Images of deer decorated cult items, weapons, ritual utensils, clothing, etc.
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