11-28-2010, 07:13 AM
This is an exhibition which opened in the summer, and Chris Webber (who posts under "sitalkes" here) posted a few photos of these finds on his Thracians Yahoo group a while ago. Much of this stuff is either not published at all or only poorly so. A few comments:
These two pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4911559704/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4910955601/
Show the finds from the tomb of king Seuthes III, including a photograph of the grip of his sword. All previous reports on this find that I've read have only mentioned that a sword and its scabbard were found, but have never discussed what type it was or published photos. It looks to have been a kopis with a grip beautifully inlaid with goldwork. Despite the fact that they are in the same display, I doubt that the sica and Celtic sword are from the same tomb - they have not been mentioned in any reports I've read, and the Celtic sword would be a particularly early example, considering that the tomb dates to c. 300 BC.
The pictures of this cuirass:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4910921841/
Caused some interesting discussion before, but next to no information on it was available when the first photos of it were posted online. Now it can be confirmed that this was an exceptionally well-preserved royal burial from Golyamata Mogila in the Sboryanovo Archaeological Reserve dating to c. 350 BC. It was previously suggested that we could be seeing the actual leather backing of the scale preserved, but the statement that "the magnificent lamellar armor of a Thracian Prince" was "made of more than 1600 separate pieces and assembled by the restorers of the Regional Museum in Yambol and the National Museum of History" seems to confirm that it is simply very heavily restored from iron fragments. This burial included the Chalcidian helmet decorated with a triple (or triple-headed?) snake motif, iron scale pectoral and cuirass, three iron spearheads, a kopis, and several iron arrowheads. It's not clear whether it included this greave or not, though:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
The kopis is exceptionally well-preserved:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
And I really wonder what the handle is made of. These new sword finds really bump up the number of Greek swords found among the Thracians and Getae.
Lastly, I really wonder in what context this sword/dagger was found:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
Because it looks unlike any I've ever seen from Thrace.
These two pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4911559704/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4910955601/
Show the finds from the tomb of king Seuthes III, including a photograph of the grip of his sword. All previous reports on this find that I've read have only mentioned that a sword and its scabbard were found, but have never discussed what type it was or published photos. It looks to have been a kopis with a grip beautifully inlaid with goldwork. Despite the fact that they are in the same display, I doubt that the sica and Celtic sword are from the same tomb - they have not been mentioned in any reports I've read, and the Celtic sword would be a particularly early example, considering that the tomb dates to c. 300 BC.
The pictures of this cuirass:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4910921841/
Caused some interesting discussion before, but next to no information on it was available when the first photos of it were posted online. Now it can be confirmed that this was an exceptionally well-preserved royal burial from Golyamata Mogila in the Sboryanovo Archaeological Reserve dating to c. 350 BC. It was previously suggested that we could be seeing the actual leather backing of the scale preserved, but the statement that "the magnificent lamellar armor of a Thracian Prince" was "made of more than 1600 separate pieces and assembled by the restorers of the Regional Museum in Yambol and the National Museum of History" seems to confirm that it is simply very heavily restored from iron fragments. This burial included the Chalcidian helmet decorated with a triple (or triple-headed?) snake motif, iron scale pectoral and cuirass, three iron spearheads, a kopis, and several iron arrowheads. It's not clear whether it included this greave or not, though:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
The kopis is exceptionally well-preserved:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
And I really wonder what the handle is made of. These new sword finds really bump up the number of Greek swords found among the Thracians and Getae.
Lastly, I really wonder in what context this sword/dagger was found:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossitza/4 ... 769256000/
Because it looks unlike any I've ever seen from Thrace.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
