Pages: 311-327

The cheek-pieces published here were uncovered during the excavations in Kartal hillfort. All pieces date to the Pre-Scythian time, presumably to the 9th — 8th centuries BC. The collection includes items made of metal (bronze) and horn/bone, among which 3 groups can be distinguished. The first one is not so expressive morphologically, with its items widely spread in space and time. The cheek-pieces of the second group come either from Eastern Europe or Central Asia and are made of bronze or horn/bone. Noteworthy, metal items are mainly spread in the east, while the bone ones in the west. The third group is quite unique, developed from North-Caucasian types of cheek-pieces. The study of materials discussed in the article emphasizes the important role played by Kartal hillfort in a multi-cultural dialogue in the south of Eastern Europe in the beginning of the early Iron Age. The culture of the hillfort at the time promoted rather active relations between the bearers of the steppe Cimmerian culture and western cultures, represented largely by the Thracian populations of the Carpathian-Danube and Balkan regions.

Keywords: Pre-Scythian period, Cimmerians, cheek-pieces, horse harness, Kartal hillfort

Information about author:

Igor Bruyako (Odessa, Ukraine). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Odessa Archaeological Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Lanzheronovskaya St., 4, Odessa, 065026, Ukraine
E-mail: [email protected]