Tovsta Mohyla Pectoral: Masterpiece of Scythian Gold

The Tovsta Mohyla pectoral is a gold neck ornament made in the 4th century BC and found in 1971 in a Scythian royal burial mound in southern Ukraine. Its three bands of figures show Scythian herders at work, domestic animals with their young and fierce scenes of animal combat. Made by a Greek goldsmith for a Scythian patron, it is regarded as one of the greatest works of ancient goldsmithing and a national treasure of Ukraine.

The Scythians and their kurgans

The Scythians were Iranian-speaking nomadic peoples who dominated the steppes north of the Black Sea from about the 7th to the 3rd century BC. They herded horses, cattle and sheep, fought as mounted archers and traded grain, slaves and other goods with the Greek colonies on the coast.

Their elite were buried under large earth mounds called kurgans, often with horses, attendants and rich grave goods. Herodotus described elaborate royal funerals in Book 4 of his Histories, and excavations have confirmed many of his details. The richest kurgans lie near the Dnipro River in what is now the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.

Excavating Tovsta Mohyla

Tovsta Mohyla, meaning “thick grave”, was a kurgan about 8.6 m high near the town now called Pokrov (formerly Ordzhonikidze). The mound was threatened by mining, and in 1971 an expedition led by the archaeologist and poet Borys Mozolevsky excavated it.

The central burial had been robbed in antiquity. But on 21 June 1971 Mozolevsky found the pectoral in the entrance passage of the central tomb, where the robbers had apparently dropped or overlooked it. Nearby lay a sword in a gold-covered sheath. A side burial of a woman and a child, accompanied by servants, was untouched and held many gold ornaments.

Design and craftsmanship

The pectoral is a crescent about 30 cm across, made of high-purity gold and weighing about 1.15 kg. Twisted gold cords frame three curved bands, or friezes, which narrow towards the two ends.

The upper band shows scenes of Scythian daily life. At the centre two men, half-dressed and with weapons laid aside, sew or stretch a sheepskin garment. Around them are horses and cattle with their young, a boy milking a ewe, another sealing a jar, and birds.

The middle band is filled with spiralling plant tendrils and flowers decorated with blue enamel, with small birds among them. The lower band shows a different world: griffins attacking horses, lions and leopards bringing down a deer and a boar, and dogs chasing hares. Even small grasshoppers appear at the edges.

Each figure was cast separately and then soldered into place. The anatomy, movement and detail are characteristic of Greek goldsmiths, while the subjects are drawn from Scythian life and the animal imagery that Scythian art had long favoured.

Who made it and what it means

Most scholars believe the pectoral was made in the second half of the 4th century BC by a Greek workshop, either in Athens or in a Black Sea city such as Panticapaeum (modern Kerch). Greek craftsmen produced many luxury items for Scythian patrons, adapting their style to their clients’ tastes.

The contrast between peaceful herding at the top and violent combat at the bottom has been read as a picture of the world: human order and abundance above, the wild and dangerous forces of nature below. The pectoral was probably worn by a king or high-ranking warrior on ceremonial occasions and buried with him.

Other finds from the kurgan

The pectoral was not the only treasure. The undisturbed side burial contained the woman’s headdress with gold plaques, gold earrings and rings, bracelets and a necklace, while the child wore gold ornaments as well. Bronze cauldrons and other vessels were placed nearby.

The remains of several horses with gilded harness fittings and the bodies of attendants were also found, matching Herodotus’s account of servants and horses buried with Scythian rulers. Together the finds rank Tovsta Mohyla among the richest Scythian kurgans ever excavated.

Legacy

The discovery made Mozolevsky famous in the Soviet Union, and the pectoral became a symbol of Ukraine’s ancient heritage. It is kept in the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine in Kyiv. Like the frozen finds of the Pazyryk burials in Siberia and the early tombs of the Arzhan kurgans, it shows how rich and sophisticated the world of the steppe nomads could be.

Timeline

• c. 7th century BC: Scythians establish their power on the Pontic steppe.
• c. 430 BC: Herodotus describes Scythian royal burials.
• Second half of the 4th century BC: The pectoral is made and buried in Tovsta Mohyla.
• 1971, 21 June: Borys Mozolevsky finds the pectoral.
• 1979: Mozolevsky publishes his monograph on the excavation.

Why it matters

The pectoral is one of the most detailed pictures of nomadic life to survive from antiquity. It records clothing, livestock and daily tasks that written sources barely mention, and it shows the close cultural exchange between Greeks and Scythians around the Black Sea.