Sarmatian Gold

Our region has a multifaceted history, illustrated by sources of various informativeness. Jewelry and precious vessels from Sarmatian burials are just one of these sources that give us an idea of the culture of these ancient tribes who had no writing.

The Sarmatians spoke various dialects of the ancient Iranian language. The basis of this language, having undergone many changes over time, has been preserved by modern Ossetians in the North Caucasus.

The Sarmatians were typical nomads, whose life Ammianus Marcellinus, the Roman historian of the 4th century C.E., describes as follows: «For they have no huts and care nothing for using the plowshare, but they live upon flesh and an abundance of milk, and dwell in wagons, which they cover with rounded canopies of bark and drive over the boundless wastes».

For a Roman aristocrat, the Sarmatian lifestyle was unusual. But the nomadic world is a completely different culture. Nomadic communities reached a high level of cultural development, as evidenced by finds of precious metals in burials. They ended up in the graves of Sarmatian leaders as funeral gifts to emphasize their high position in society. And now these objects are important witnesses to the ancient history of the Lower Volga region, telling us about its cultural, economic and political connections.