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Sarmatian cavalry and infantry
#1
Sarmatian cavalry and infantry from "The painted tombs of the Cimmerian Bosporus (1st-2nd century AC)"

http://bosporuscrypt.ru/content/reconstr...deo_01.htm
http://bosporuscrypt.ru/content/reconstr...deo_02.htm

[attachment=12709]sarm10.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=12710]sarm11.jpg[/attachment]


The original drawings by V.V. Stasov (1872), M.I. Rostovtsev (1873) and 3D reconstruction project by Saint Petersbourg University, Russia.


arrivederci,
Emilio


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#2
Thanks for these, Emilio.
Whenever we can get decent illustrations of Late Sarmatian arms, armor, and costume, it's a great help. :-)
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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#3
What I really want to see is the original painting of those cavalrymen supposedly riding sidesaddle. Is there anything showing them?
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
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#4
I zoomed in and snapped a shot with my phone so excuse the quality but they are not riding sidesaddle. This image is from the book The History of Central Asia. I think the original tomb at Kerch was destroyed in ww2 & these images were shown in Rostovtzeff's book Iranians & Greeks in South Russia which was published in 1922. Apparently the artwork from the tomb is covering a war between a Sarmatian overlord of a nearby Greek city, Panticapaeum against Scythian raiders & their Taurian allies. Rostovtzeff thinks the Sarmatian is from the Siraces.
It seems he has already unhorsed an opponent who is lying on the ground in front of him while he is being attacked by two other riders. Looks like a broken contus in front of fallen rider. Sarmatians & Scythians trained their horses to remain by their unhorsed riders so they could remount & escape & this horse seems to be waiting over his fallen rider before the infantry following to the left of picture can capture or finish him off but artwork is damaged so hard to tell.
Smile



[attachment=12737]image_2015-09-03-2.jpg[/attachment]

This is another shot of the wall painting from Rostovtseff's book showing a Sarmatian horseman charging an infantryman, either Scythian or Taurian. It is only in black and white though.


[attachment=12742]sarmatian-kerch-small.jpg[/attachment]



Regards
Michael Kerr


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Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#5
These are the ones I meant:


[attachment=12743]SidesaddleRiders1.jpg[/attachment]


[attachment=12744]SidesaddleRiders2.jpg[/attachment]

The whole thing looks idealized and possibly misinterpreted, which I why I would like to know what the original looked like.


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Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
#6
I cannot be sure but I think those depictions are from another tomb from Kerch. From what I know it was found by the director of Kerch museum, A.B. Ashik around the mid 19th century. Not much more information and I don't know the time period it represents but I did find a slightly better image of the horsemen riding sidesaddle. It certainly is an interesting depiction of men using contus, maybe by Greek artists at Panticapaeum not far from Kerch. I think eventually the Siraces leaders married into the ruling Greek City ruling families and over time their descendants probably spoke Greek and considered themselves Greek (and later on with the rise of Rome considered themselves as friends of Rome) but never forgot their Sarmatian roots and gods. Going by the various depictions they still fought as their ancestors did as well. It seems there was a lot of destruction on these sites during WW2 which is a tragedy. Smile


[attachment=12745]Kerch-Ashik.jpg[/attachment]

Regards
Michael Kerr


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Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#7
Hi, Renatus and Michael

The "Ashik's crypt" was unearthed in 1845 and then it was re-filled with earth again.
Currently we do not known where is located... :-(
All we have are the colour drawings of Anton Ashik himself. Note how it is used the color blue (helmets, scales armor, chain mail) and brown (leather armor ?).

Anton Ashik - "Ancient Kerch, a painted tomb from Panticapaeum" - Odessa, 1845

http://kitap.tatar.ru/ru/dl/nbrt_fv_Inv_1742

arrivederci,
Emilio
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#8
Thankyou Emilio, I wonder why they would fill it in after finding the tomb. There must still be quite a few. Alanus mentioned that while constructing a new airport at Rostov-on-Don they found a Sarmatian/Aorsi grave of a warrior princess and also around this area they found another Aorsi princess's grave in 1987 so there must be a few grave sites around undiscovered. I took the liberty of screen grabbing the image Renatus mentioned and cleaned it up a little for viewing although there is still a bit of a watermark on it and I might have overdone the stripping back. It is only lo-res so I hope it isn't infringing any copyright but being produced in mid nineteenth century maybe it is alright as that was 175 years ago.


[attachment=12746]kerch3.jpg[/attachment]

Regards
Michael Kerr


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Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
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#9
I have followed Michael's example and taken a screenshot, but of the sidesaddle riders only:


[attachment=12747]SidesaddleRiders3.jpg[/attachment]


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Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
#10
I have followed Michael's example and taken a screenshot, but of the sidesaddle riders only:


[attachment=12748]SidesaddleRiders3.jpg[/attachment]

EDIT I don't know why this image is rotated; it's the right way round on my computer. Maybe someone who knows more about this sort of thing than I do can sort it out.


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Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
#11
I have looked for a long time for earlier images or engravings of this side saddle posture without success.

Intriguing nonetheless as the two side saddle riders are shown in full coats of scale/laminae (?) whereas the others, in "standard" armour, are astride.

PS if you right click and go to "view image" the orientation is correct.
Moi Watson

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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#12
This is my attempt ...

arrivederci,
Emilio
[attachment=12753]ashik1.jpg[/attachment]

Anton Ashik (1845) comment to this picture:
"The funeral of nobles in ancient times were the maintainability of different games, hunting and battle in the investigation of ancient beliefs that the dead are committed in a different world than they did during life. The battle, the picture here has the same meaning as in general all the battles with the Greeks Amozonok represented on ancient vases and walls of tombs, as I have already said. In our illustration, the left side, seen residents Panticapaeum and Roman knights in battle with their neighbors, the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Georgia, whose wife, like Amazon, went to war. "
(Google translate from Russian text)


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#13
Quote: PS if you right click and go to "view image" the orientation is correct.
I can't seem to do that. 'View image' does not appear. There is 'show picture' but that is greyed out.
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
#14
Quote: In our illustration, the left side, seen residents Panticapaeum and Roman knights in battle with their neighbors, the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Georgia, whose wife, like Amazon, went to war. "
(Google translate from Russian text)

Thank you for that clarification.
Moi Watson

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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#15
Quote:
Vindex post=369867 Wrote:PS if you right click and go to "view image" the orientation is correct.
I can't seem to do that. 'View image' does not appear. There is 'show picture' but that is greyed out.

Most odd. Even when you open the image first? (Forgot to mention that part, sorry). Emilio has sorted it, now, however.
Moi Watson

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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