Gold Scythian Ritual Cone

This conical artefact was found during the excavations of Scythian Perederiieva Mohyla barrow in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine. Around the base of the “cone” is a narrow floral band of Greek metalwork. The top of the “cone” is decorated with a double rosette surrounded by a rope pattern, with a small hole in the centre. The scene of the confrontation between four youngsters and two old men is engraved on the main surface of the “cone”. The composition is divided into two groups with three figures each.
The images are made in high relief and realistic manner, big and precise.
There are few interpretations of the depicted scenery. The most popular one tells us about the story of the famous ancient Greek historian Herodotus: he wrote about the return of the Scythians to the North Black Sea region after their 28-year rule in West Asia.
This “cone” is the source of many theories about its function. Most likely, it was a ritual object used during special cult ceremonies.