A Rare Early Scythian Age Situla from the Stavropol Region, Northern Caucasus

Abstract

This article describes a rare bronze situla, found near the Verbovka River northwest of Stavropol, and owned by the Prozritelev and Prave Stavropol State Museum-Reserve. The vessel has a turnip-shaped body, a wide mouth, and a truncated-conical base. The body is modeled from four trapezoidal bronze sheets joined by vertical rows of rivets with inward-positioned heads. Upper parts of unusual cast handles are sculptured as dog muzzles. For the first time, the use of a ring made from iron wire and strengthening the rim is described. Finds of riveted cauldrons with zoomorphic and loop-shaped handles, as well as forged situlae and vessels, made by hammering bronze (or copper) sheets on wooden matrices, with mounts on handles, are mapped. On the basis of technological features, three types of situlae are described: (I) riveted; (II) forged; and (III) hammered on wooden matrices. The new situla belongs to the first type. Like two forged situlae from the Krasnoye Znamya cemetery, it was presumably manufactured at some Koban site on the Stavropol Plateau.