Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne (3/4.1999)

grave of a young woman. The naturę and rangę of the burial contents
indicate that this is the tomb of a representative of the Scythian tribal
aristocracy (a 'prlncess'). The grave yielded around 500 artefacts, includ-
ing: gold appliąues of ceremoniał dress, an outer garment and head-dress,
as well as striking jewellery, along with silver sendces, bronze and earthen-
ware Greek crockery. These finds, made by the discoverers and Hrynce-
wicz's family, on whose land the barrow was situated, were (through Ossow-
ski)- beąueathed to the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cracow, and to
this day can be seen in the collection of the Cracow Archaeological Mu-
seum. A year later, there also appeared a report on G. Ossowski's research,
printed under the auspices of the Academy, which still today represents
the basie source of knowledge on the subject of this celebrated find.3

Amongst the rich collection of striking finds there are two articles
which for certain did not escape the attention of the Honourable Jubi-
lee Celebrator. These are two gold rings made from the staters of the
Greek colony of Panticapaeum, adorning the right hand of the Scythian
'princess'.4 On the obverse of the staters there is an image of the head
of a bearded Satyr1 in a ivy-covered wreath, presented in left profile; on
the reverse, a lion-headed griffin with a spear in its mouth going to the

2 Talko-Hryncewicz, Z moich wspomnień, pp. 184—185.

:! G. Ossowski, Wielki kurhan ryżanowski według badań dokonanych w latach 1884 i 1887,
Kraków 1888. See also an abridged report containing a description of Barrow 5 and
G. Ossowskfs later discoveries in the Ryzhanovka region in: G. Ossowski, Materyjały do
Paleoetnologii Kurhanów ukraińskich, I i II, Zbiór Wiadomości do Antropologii Krajowej, XII,
1888, pp. 1-46 and 58-91.

1 Ossowski, Wielki Kurhan, p. 21. According to Ossowski, op. cit, pp. 21-22, on the fingers
of the right hand there were, besides these, four other rings: two smooth (weight- 5.685 gm
and 3.776 gm), a notched one together with an open ring from a gold plate, a ring-seal
('signet') with a concave image of a griffin on the face (weight - 8.714 gm), and a smali ring
with a gold band of a Iow fineness (9 carat) and set in it a calcium 'gem', found on the index
finger. The fingers of the left hand were adorned with two rings: the third (the largest) of
the specimens with a smooth face, with an entirely moulded or soldered on band (weight -
9.738 gm) and the second of the 'signets' (Ossowski, Wielki Kurhan, p. 22), with a fuli
(closed) band, with concave representations of a bow, club and sword on the face (weight
- 12.617 gm) (photo 3). Photos 1-7 see tables I-II.

5 See M. Mielczarek, Gold Panticapaean coins set in rings found in the Great Ryzhanovka Barrow
(Ukrainę), Archeologia, XXXVII, 1986, p. 102. In Ossowskfs opinion, Wielki Kurhan, p. 21, this
is a representation of the head of the Lord. Perhaps such was also the initial intention of those
who minted and designed the coinage, who undoubtedly were interested in the creation of
a 'speaking insignia', the 'image' of the town's 'patron'. This is debatable, however, sińce this
coinage representation was interpreted by Greek circles as 'barbarian'.

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