Among the various and numerous Scythian ornaments, hryvnas have a special place. In the early Scythian period such items appear primarily in the forest-steppe. Researchers consider them one of the markers of horse riding as a dominant social group. But already at the end of the 6th century BCE they appear in the steppe zone, where they are already found in the burials of Scythians with different social status.
A hryvna twisted in one and a half turns with laconic figurines of lying lionesses is a fine example of a product decorated in the Scythian animal style. It served as an ornament of a rich Scythian woman, complementing her luxurious outfit of a dress and headdress embroidered with gold plates, a glass chaplet, gold earrings and rings.
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