Scythian–Sarmatian art as part of the cultural landscape of Crimea

Khlevnoi Vladimir Aleksandrovich lecturer; Department of Fine and Decorative Arts; State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education of the Republic of Crimea 'Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University named after Fevzi Yakubov' 295015, Russia, Crimea region, Simferopol, Uchebny lane, 8 VladMir-rc@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

The definition of the Scythian–Sarmatian culture in the Crimean pattern is impossible without referring to the concept of "cultural landscape". The concept of cultural landscape consists of the definition of the noosphere by the Russian scientist–encyclopedist Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945), and the homosphere, put forward by Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev (1906-1999) ^{[1, p. 91]}. In addition, D. S. Likhachev introduced the term historical landscape into scientific circulation, understood by him as a natural and cultural complex formed as a result of human interaction with the natural landscape ^{[1, p. 144]}.

Ethnic culture is an integral phenomenon, the diversity of which is manifested both verbally, through language, and through auditory and audio–visual perception in folk religious and ceremonial practice, music, song, dance. A visual manifestation of the uniqueness of the cultural area of the Crimea is folk decorative and applied art, which reflects the ancient elements of theology and folklore of each ethnic group, embodied in pictorial symbols ^[12].

Russian cultural critic Andrei Yakovlevich Flier (born 1950) based on the works of the Russian semiotic Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman (1922-1993), as well as the Russian philosopher Alexander Moiseevich Pyatigorsky (1929-2009) introduced the concept of cultural texts as "a set of cultural meanings expressed in a symbolic form" ^[23].

The sign, as a visual symbol, is an archaic foundation in which the foundations of the culture of any ethnic group, its beliefs, traditions and main activities are laid. The central problem in this context is the study of the characteristics of each of the ethnocultures, the appearance of common features in the process of cultural interaction, the search for both common cultural origins and unique identity features of each ethnic group ^[32].

The time frame of our study covers the period of the presence of the Scythian–Sarmatian culture on the peninsula of the VII century BC – IV century AD. In Greek written sources, there are the first mentions of non-written autochthonous peoples who inhabited the Crimea before the arrival of the Greeks ^[34]. The Greek poet Homer (VIII–VII centuries BC) was the first to describe the Cimmerians who inhabited the steppe part of the peninsula presumably from IX to the first half. VII century BC. In the VII century BC. The Cimmerians were displaced by the Scythians.

The writings of Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Elder made a great contribution to the study of Scythian–Sarmatian culture and the restoration of historical events of that era. Ancient written information confirms material finds, which helps modern science to give an accurate idea of the culture and art, beliefs and economic activities of the Scythians.

In 1830, the excavation of the Kul–Oba stone crypt on the Kerch Peninsula was carried out. A rich inventory with images of animals, fantastic creatures, and hunting scenes was found in the mound. In the second half of the 19th century, excavations began on the largest mounds in the Northern Black Sea region, the most famous of them Chertomlyk, Krasnokutsky, Alexandropolsky. A great contribution to the study of zoomorphic elements belongs to archaeologist I.E. Zalebin, who made a detailed description of the golden lining of the granite depicting the struggle of animals, and also found similarities in all the mounds found.

In the forest-steppe zone of the Northern Black Sea region, in addition to the excavation of mounds, searches for ancient settlements were carried out by Russian and foreign archaeologists, whose research is reflected in the works of M.I. Rostovtsev, the largest Scythologist and antiquarian ^[34],[35]. In his monograph, M.I. Rostovtsev identified the main signs of the Scythian "animal style", which characterized the first period of the development of this style. In the work "Scythia and Bosporus" M.I. Rostovtsev conducts a detailed analysis of archaeological sources, which made it possible to make a chronological picture of the art of the Scythians ^{[36, pp. 108-600]}. In the monograph "Central Asia, Russia, China and the animal style", he analyzes the main features of Scythian images of animals that characterized the initial period of their appearance ^{[37, pp. 57-75]}. M.I. Rostovtsev outlined local variants of the Scythian culture. He emphasizes the proximity of the Scythian "animal style" to the West Siberian, but more crude, limited by a small number of motifs.

V.A. Ilyinskaya made a great contribution to the study of the "animal style" of the Scythians ^{[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]}. The author has identified the main groups of zoomorphic images found during excavations of almost the entire area of the Scythian world: ungulates, feline predators, heads and figures of birds of prey and bears. V. A. Ilyinskaya in the work "Scythians of the Dnieper Left Bank. Kurgan Posulya" noted the synthesis of stylization and the plausibility of the images depicted ^{[3, pp. 27-39]}. Many archaeology researchers raise the question of whether the Scythian animal style belongs to various ancient cultures. M.I. Artamonova advocates the theory of the Scythians borrowing the main elements of this art from the Middle East, the so-called "Front Asian" or log theory ^{[7, pp. 13-29]}. If S.I. Rudenko found features of the ancient art of the Near East in Altai art, then other authors such as B.N. Grakov and A.M. Leskov believe that Scythian art was influenced by later Achaemenid Iran. Also, despite the apparent differences in the origin of the Scythian ethnos and its art, scientists still come to a certain unity in their views. V.Y. Murzin collects an average concept, the essence of which is the influence of both local and nomadic components ^{[8, p. 15]}.

The founder of the research aimed at studying the content of the semantics of images in line with the reconstruction of the worldview of the ancients is D.S. Rayevsky ^{[9],[10],[11]}. He believed that it was impossible to consider images separately, but only included in the complete system of an art object or everyday life. In his work "On the characterization of the main trends in the history of Scythian art" ^{[9, pp. 27-35]}. D. S. Rayevsky used all kinds of sources, including the analysis of primitive religions, the social and household structure of Scythian society, and even materials from the Greek folklore of Herodotus to fully study the issue. Addressing all the material, the author applied an integrated approach, which made it possible to describe in detail the belonging of the found objects of Scythian art to a certain system of images.

M.P. Grakov in his monograph "The Scythians. Popular science essay" notes that Scythian art depicted only those animals that occupied a special place in the ideology of the early nomads, as well as fantastic creatures endowed with the characteristics of different animals, but always in the same specific combinations ^{[13, p. 105]}. In addition, the researcher believed that polymorphic creatures combine various qualities that characterize those animals whose features are combined in a fantastic image. The works of D.S. Rayevsky ^{[11, pp. 55-60]}, E.E. Kuzmina "The Horse in the religion and art of the Saks and Scythians" ^[14], G. N. Kurochkin "The coiled predator and the "flying" deer" ^{[15, pp. 92-103]} are addressed to the study of the semantics of zoomorphic and polymorphic images of the worldview of the ancients. A.R. Kantorovich identified territorial and chronological groups in the animal style of steppe Scythia ^[16]. In the Scythian tradition in this work, along with the works of animal style.

The origin of the Scythians is not entirely clear. According to the records of Herodotus, under the onslaught of the Massagets, they crossed the Arake River and came to the land of the Cimmerians. The emergence of a homogeneous Scythian culture throughout the steppe zone occurred in the VII century BC. Tribes lived on the territory of Scythia, different in their origin, culture and language. According to a number of signs, they can be divided into two large groups. The southern tribes lived in the steppes from the Lower Danube to the Don. These were Iranian-speaking Scythian tribes. One of them, who lived in the Northern Azov region, called himself the royal Scythians and considered all other Scythians to be his slaves. In the west, the Scythians were neighbors of the Thracian tribes, in the east they bordered the Sauromatians, who lived beyond the Seversky Donets and the Don up to the Urals. The steppe Crimea was also Scythian ^[27].

The heyday of the Scythian culture in the steppes of the Black Sea region falls on the IV century BC, where the main religious building of the Scythian–Sarmatian culture is considered to be the kurgan, which has preserved most of the material finds that have survived to the present day. The sizes of burial structures vary from small mounds to large hills with the use of stone buildings – burial chambers.

The Scythian culture is known for its unique works of art found in the mounds. They are distinguished by images of animals in specific poses with an emphasis on elements such as eyes, paws, claws, horns and ears. Ungulates such as deer and goats are represented with bent legs, and predators from the feline family are represented in the form of a ring. Images of powerful and fast animals reflect the Scythian values of always being ready for action and attack. It has been established that some of these images are associated with certain Scythian deities. The figures of these animals are supposed to have served as a kind of protection for their owners from misfortune. This style, however, was not exclusively religious, it also had a decorative significance. The claws, tails and shoulder blades of predators were often stylized as the head of a bird of prey, and sometimes full-fledged images of animals were placed on the shoulder blades. This artistic approach has been called the "animal style" ^[27].

As a phenomenon, the animal style was formed in the VII century BC in the Eurasian steppe at the stage of the historical development of the Iranian-speaking nomads. The Scythian animal style refers to the "grand style" in fine art, comparable to the Greek "classical style".

Due to the nomadic way of farming, constant raids and warriors, as well as the mixing of small cultures, there is an exchange of resources, skills in working with various materials, wood, metal, bone, as well as plots and themes of images ^{[17, pp. 7-8]}.

Theories about drastic revolutionary changes in the art of the Scythian peoples were supported and developed by historians I.V. Yatsenko and D.S. Rayevsky, which led to the emergence of the "Scythian animal style" in our modern understanding ^{[9, p. 27]}.

When studying archaeological finds of Scythian and Sarmatian art, an important issue becomes the identification of the "Scythian animal style" with numerous finds of zoomorphic ornaments in the art of other peoples who inhabited the territory of the Crimean Peninsula of the Bronze and Iron Ages.

German archaeologist and orientalist E. Hertzfeld wrote: "I deliberately avoid the term "animal style", which is as incomprehensible to me as a "human" style or a "vegetable style" would be. In general, even the predominant use of animals for decorative purposes does not create style" ^[18]. E. Herzfeld believed that style cannot be determined by what is depicted directly, since this is the formal, not the substantive side of art.

However, the "Scythian animal style" itself includes in its concept not only stylistic techniques of the image, but also the meaningful side of the subject that influences it, that is, "certain animals in a certain way." In each culture, this influence is carried out according to its own laws, therefore, according to N.L. Chlenova, the words "Scythian" cannot be torn from this term ^{[19, p. 68]}. Regarding other zoomorphic images, the following can be attributed to the features that distinguish the "Scythian animal style":

1. As M.I. Rostovtsev noted, the difference between Scythian animals from others is primarily in the method of modeling the body surface ^{[37, p. 57]}. Both the body of the animal as a whole and its individual details – legs with hooves or claws, antlers of deer, beak of a bird of prey, eyes, ears, mouth of animals – are made up of planes converging at an angle. These planes form large faces with sharp edges, on which a unique play of light and shadow, peculiar only to the Scythian animal style, is created, enhancing the impression of what is depicted.

2. The difference in the peculiarities of animal stylization and the degree of their remoteness from the naturalistic image, the general hypertrophied parts of the depicted animal. For example, the eye may occupy the entire head of a hoofed animal, the mouth and fangs may be depicted as greatly exaggerated in comparison with the head, the beak or claws of a bird are much larger than the bird's body itself, the nostrils of a predator are so exaggerated that they protrude beyond the head, dictating the shape of the entire composition. In animals, certain anatomical details are accentuated by stretching or twisting the shoulder, eyes, horns, hooves, and paws. It is not uncommon to see an elongated deer head or an unnaturally inverted moose head. The predators were depicted with long paws and turned-out claws, which emphasized their image of a dangerous beast. In some images, an isolated image of another animal can be found on parts of the animal's body, while there is no plot interaction with it ^{[20, p. 115]}.

Another detail is the presence of "zoomorphic transformations", when one part of the animal's body can transform into a fragment of another. For example, the openwork horns of an elk consist of the heads of birds located opposite each other, the legs and paws of predatory cats contain the heads of ungulates, thereby depicting the plot of a successful hunt. One of the deer horns can be depicted in the form of a ram's head ^{[21, p. 95]}. Also, images of individual parts of the animal's body, such as animal and bird heads, deer horns, bird claws, and predator legs, could be significant for the master and the viewer.

The most ancient Scythian mounds date back to the VI century BC. They contain historical artifacts originating from Assyria and Urartu, which were brought from Asia Minor as a result of military campaigns. Melgunovsky kurgan, located near Kirovograd, is one of the archaic ones. An iron sword in a golden scabbard was found in it, decorated with images of winged lions shooting bows and winged bulls with human faces, which is a characteristic marker of Assyrian art. In addition, rosettes typical of Assyrian art are depicted on the scabbard of the sword.

An example of the stay of the Scythian culture on the territory of Crimea is the Kul–Oba mound on the territory of modern Kerch, dating from the IV century BC. This mound serves as the burial place of a high-ranking Scythian, his wife and servant. An iron sword in a golden scabbard decorated with images of animals, as well as overlays on a bow case and a golden tiara were buried with the warrior. On the head of the deceased there was a felt hood decorated with gold plates, one of which depicts two Scythians drinking from the same cup - this is the fraternity ceremony described by Herodotus (Fig. 1:3). The female skeleton was found to have gold earrings of the finest workmanship, a gold hryvnia (neck band) (Fig. 1: 2) with ends depicting lying horses with riders, and two gold bracelets. At her feet stood a small vessel made of electra (an alloy of gold and silver). It depicts seven Scythian warriors, similar to those on the vase from Chertomlyk. The style of the image is about the same, but here the Scythians are busy with other daily activities. One Skiff bandages another's apparently wounded leg; the third Skiff penetrates the mouth of the fourth with his fingers, looking for a sick tooth (suffering is depicted on the patient's face, he clutched his friend's hand). Next, the Scythians are depicted talking and, finally, the Scythian pulling the bowstring (Fig. 1: 1a, 1b). All these images are brilliantly composed and expressive. Some archaeologists have suggested that the vessel from the Kul–Oba mound depicts scenes from the myth of Targitai (Hercules), who offered his sons various tests to determine which of them would become the founder and leader of the Scythians. Cult ideas are certainly reflected in their own Scythian art and in the things they ordered from the Greeks ^[27].

Drawing. 1. Jewelry from the Kul mound–Both: 1a – an electric vessel, 1b – images on this vessel, 2 – the ends of a golden hryvnia, 3 – a plaque with the image of fraternizing Scythians, 4 – an image of a deer.

A stylized image of a deer is characteristic: branched horns are thrown over the back, the muzzle is stretched forward, the legs are tucked in. The position of the animal is controversial. Some believe that the deer is depicted lying down. Others think that he is frozen in a flying gallop (Fig. 1:4).

In the decoration of various objects, the Scythians reflected their ideas about the universe. In this regard, the image of the beast was correlated with the practical purpose of the thing, in order to create agreement on the semantic level of the semantic purpose of the image on the thing ^{[22, p. 13]}.

One of the components of Scythian art is a certain set of motifs that carry both decorative and semantic meaning, a certain zoomorphic code subordinated to a special system of nomadic worldview.

The main images of the Scythian animal style are the following categories of animals:

– hoofed herbivores (deer, elk, bulls, camels, antelopes, sheep, goats, wild boars, horses);

– predators (bears, feline predators, wolves);

– syncretic animals that combine the features of different animals (griffins, hypocampuses, baranoptites, deer birds);

– waterfowl, roosters, hares, hedgehogs, fish and other less universal motifs, the image of which is more closely related to the habitat of the species and nomadic settlements ^{[24, pp. 18-19]}.

The choice of animals was closely related to the worldview and cults of nomads. Since the Paleolithic, birds (upper), herbivores (middle), reptiles and fish (lower zone of the world) have usually been zoomorphic markers in the vertical structure of the world. At the same time, zoomorphic symbols of a certain zone could move along the entire vertical, being its mediator (waterfowl), and could relate to a certain element of the ancient universe (deer) by the symbolism of certain parts (organs) of their body.

The characteristic features of the Scythian animal style are simplification of form, linearity and geometrization. The horns of Scythian deer found in the mounds of the Northern Black Sea region form an even structure of s–shaped loops, resembling a geometric ornament. Some parts of the animal are shown in the form of geometric shapes: nose, hoof – triangle, eye – circle or oval. Some parts of the body, on which the ancient master did not want to focus attention, were depicted formally: the ear was a notch or a small circle, a drop; the mouth of a deer was a slit, or was not depicted at all. Most of the images of animals are smooth and have no texture. However, you can find an image of a Scythian fish with formal scales in the form of rare semicircles. The texture of the moose's coat is traced by simple vertical lines, which serves more as a background for the pattern on the trunk than on natural fur. The plumage of birds of prey and the manes of lions were filled with simple geometric ornaments in the form of dots, zigzags, and stripes of different thicknesses.

Muscles, joints, or dynamic parts of the body are often accented with "dots" (circles), "commas" and "half-circles". The technique of such stylization was used to enable the inlay of these places with precious stones. This tradition came to the Siberian Scythians from the south. However, Altai finds tell about the utilitarianism of these ornaments, where they performed the functions of plate connectors, or a plate was attached to clothes with their help ^{[25, pp. 22-23]}.

Sets of animal poses are strictly defined. Most often, images do not have a background and do not perform any actions. A specialist in animal style, G.I. Borovka, focused on the standing poses of deer and moose. In reality, their feet do not stand on the ground – they rather hang down, so that the figure gives a strange impression of floating in space ^[26].

The abstract composition of animals has no reference to the background or other elements of the image, except for rare hunting scenes. Animals and birds mostly form a specific geometric structure, determined by the utilitarian object for which they were created. This is confirmed by the use of durable materials such as various metals, stone, bones, horns, as well as more fragile organic materials, including leather, wood and fabric. Animalistic images prevail in most forms of decorative and applied art, closely associated with the daily life and way of life of nomads. Combat items such as dagger swords (akinaki), arrows, quivers and hatchets are decorated with animal images. Horse harness, including various fixing plates, belts and even bridles, are subjected to decorative modifications.

Animal images range from barely noticeable relief images to three-dimensional plastics, without interfering with objects to perform their functional tasks, and sometimes even completely replacing them. Examples of this are the compositions of bridles made in the form of bird paws, buteroles, where the bird's beak performs the function of grabbing, and ram horns on the handle of a dagger, by which it is suspended. Zoomorphic images on weapons and horse equipment are usually small in size. However, vessels made of precious metals, the tops of staffs and other objects of ritual purpose can be of considerable size.

The existence of a zoomorphic sign system throughout the entire period of the life of the Scythian culture indicates a high level of information functionality of zoomorphic texts, which allowed the mythological consciousness of the Scythian society to comprehensively describe the surrounding reality with their help. The absolute predominance of zoomorphic images in Scythian art of the VI–V centuries BC. as V. Tsagaev suggests, it is possible to raise the question whether the zoomorphic code (and its implementation in the field of fine art – animal style) was not a universal iconic complex of Scythian culture of this period.

The characteristic features of the Scythian animal style are: the method of modeling the surface of the body, the peculiarity of stylization and remoteness from the naturalistic image – the hypertrophied parts of the animal, the presence of "zoomorphic transformations", simplification of form, linearity, geometrization, strict canons of the image of poses. lack of background, attachment to other images, performing actions, except for some hunting scenes. Images of animals are inscribed in a certain geometric shape (circle, triangle, oval), dictated by the utilitarian thing for which they are intended. Animal motifs carried not only a decorative and semantic load, but also a kind of zoomorphic code subordinated to a special system of worldview of nomads. The main images of the Scythian animal style include ungulates, predators, syncretic animals, waterfowl and other universal motifs associated with the habitat of the species and nomadic settlements.

If you look at the Scythian culture as a whole, you can see that it was formed and developed exclusively in the Northern Black Sea region. This unique combination of elements was not observed either in the log cabin culture or in any other cultural community. However, individual elements of the Scythian culture can be found in both local and Near Asian cultures ^[27].

In the II century BC, the Scythians were displaced by the Sarmatians to the Crimea. On the Western coast of the Northern Black Sea region, the Scythians retained only a small territory covering the Lower Dnieper up to Nikopol. In the III century BC, they founded a city in the Crimea, which archaeologists now call Naples on Salgir. This city became the new capital of the Scythians. Naples is located on the outskirts of Simferopol. During the excavations, a powerful defensive wall consisting of large stones and a gate protected by two towers were discovered. Several houses were found inside the fortifications: large public and private buildings, often built on Hellenistic models. At this time, a potter's wheel appears, which probably indicates the beginning of the formation of the pottery craft ^[27].

The dominance of the Scythians on the peninsula ends around the III century BC and completely disappears after the conflict of the Scythians with the Pontic kingdom, which went down in history as the Diophantine Wars (114-111 BC) ^[28]. In the III century BC, the Scythians were replaced from the east by a new people known as the Sarmatians, who are nomads of Iranian origin, which confirms the similarity with the Scythian culture and represented united tribal unions. There are no references to all Sarmatian tribes in written sources, only some of them are indicated, namely the tribes of Alans, Roxalans, Siraks, etc. These tribal formations entered the historical arena under the name of the Sarmatians. Scythia became known as Sarmatia after the Sarmatians conquered the steppes between the Don and the Dnieper from the Scythians.

The earliest reliable mention of the Sarmatians in Europe was transmitted by Polybius, the author of the first century BC. He reports on the treaty of 179 BC of King Pontus Pharnaces with various states of Europe and Asia, where Sarmatian Gatal was named among the European rulers. According to S. R. Tokhtasyev, this mention could only mean political control over European territories, while the very place of localization of the Sarmatians could remain the same – in the area of Tanais and Meotida ^[29]. Diodorus' account of the Sarmatian people, who "completely devastated most of Scythia, destroying everything in their path and turning most of the country into a desert," is usually interpreted as proof of the Sarmatian conquest of Scythia, which took place somewhere at the turn of the IV–III or in the first decades of the III century BC.

A distinctive feature of the Sarmatians was the position of women in the tribe. Who fought or hunted on a par with men. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that their society had a matriarchal vector, which can be confirmed in archaeological finds: the graves of wealthy women are often accompanied by weapons, horse equipment and religious attributes (for example, stone altars). Although mostly men fought, traces of women's armament can be traced back to the emergence of a class society up to the II century BC, where these remnants disappear. When studying the mounds, a clear property differentiation is noticeable, which proves that the Sarmatian family system was at the stage of disintegration, but was more stable than that of the Scythians ^[27].

Sarmatian funerary implements have much in common with Scythian ones, including akinaks, arrows, bits, psalias (part of an ancient bridle set), bronze mirrors and objects decorated in animal style, as well as coarse pottery made without the use of a potter's wheel. As in the case of the Scythians, the basic understanding of Sarmatian culture is based on the study of burials, which is typical for nomadic peoples. The burials of the Sarmatian nobility, in particular the kings, are not significantly inferior to the Scythian ones. In the Khokhlach mound dating from the I–II century A.D. in Novocherkassk, a female burial was discovered, possibly the wife or concubine of the king. Among the funerary items were imported vessels, silverware, artistic bronze and gold objects, including necklaces, cups, vials, bracelets. Many of them are decorated with elements identified as animal style. Separately, attention should be paid to the golden diadem with the image of goats, deer, trees and a female head made of chalcedony of Greek work in the center (Fig. 2), which in turn confirms the synthesis of ancient art with the culture of indigenous nomadic peoples. The richness of the burial is also confirmed by the presence of many gold plaques that were once sewn to clothes.

Figure 2. The golden diadem from the Sarmatian Khokhlach mound.

The historian M. I. Rostovtsev in his writings focuses on the type of weapons of the Sarmatians, as a noticeable sign of material culture that distinguishes them from the Scythians. It consisted of a long heavy spear, a long sword and dagger, and protective armor (armor, chain mail, helmet – more often conical). Rostovtsev extrapolated this image of the Sarmatian cataphractary described in the writings of the writer of the IV century A.D. Ammianus Marcellinus to earlier periods.

Archaeological research shows that the Sarmatians presumably used metal chain mail, which were probably obtained from Roman troops. It is worth noting that the first chain mail was made in the VIII century BC. There are cases when the Sarmatians used weapons from the cities of the Black Sea region. For example, a large accumulation of weapons was found in a mound near the village of Vozdvizhenskaya: iron mail, armor, arrows, a sword with a ringed pommel, horse parts and a Roman spear pilum ^[27].

The Scythian animal style was organically intertwined with the cultural pattern of the Sarmatians, since for a long period of time some cultural elements were borrowed from neighboring tribes and peoples, especially from related tribes that stood at approximately the same stage of development, which is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds, however, a characteristic feature of the Sarmatian artistic culture is the polychrome style, according to which clothes, shoes metal products with the image of animals were decorated with colored beads, stone inserts, and colored enamel. By the fourth century, this style reaches a special splendor, but its artistry decreases ^[27].

The images of animals are gradually being replaced by geometric ornaments. This was probably facilitated by the Sarmatian signs of the Northern Black Sea region, which were the brand symbols of the genus, as a distinctive feature of the Sarmatian culture. Signs have been found in the Northern Black Sea region mainly since the 1st century AD, i.e. during the period of increased sarmatization and the appearance of kings named Sauromat and Aspurgus among the local ruling dynasty on the Bosporus. Sarmatian boilers differ from Scythian ones in a number of ways. There are no signs on the Scythian cauldrons, known since the VI century BC. Among the Sarmatian cauldrons that appeared around the third century BC, some are decorated with familiar signs.

In the Volga region, in Sarmatian burials of the IV–II centuries BC, stucco vessels decorated with the same signs were found (Kalinovsky burial ground near the village of Rakhinka, kurgan No. 2 near the village of Verkhny Pogromny, 2nd Berezhnovsky burial ground). A large and characteristic group of Sarmatian monuments consists of small mirror pendants with a looped handle, which are included in the funeral inventory. They are found simultaneously (II–III centuries AD) in the Kuban, Volga and Don, as well as throughout the Northern Black Sea region and are often decorated with signs or ornaments close to them. All these facts suggest that the signs in question existed in the Sarmatian environment and, as these tribes moved from east to west, penetrated into the Northern Black Sea region ^[30].

The proof of the continuity of the signs of the Sarmatian culture is a marble slab from Tanais. The inscription on the slab speaks of the restoration of the wall under King Riskuporid III, the son of Sauromat II, therefore dates back to the beginning of the III century AD. The reconstructed form of the sign is probably the first identified nominal sign of Riskuporid III; it has the closest analogy in the sign of the closest predecessor of Riskuporid III – his father Sauromat II (Fig.3: 3, 3a). Here we have a clear continuity of the main form of the sign with slight differences in the upper part (Fig.3: 3b), ^{[30, pp. 59-61]}.

Figure 3. Tanais marble slab. It is kept in the State Hermitage Museum (inv. no. TH. 299). Plate Dimensions: height 81, width 63, thickness 25 cm.

There are also differences between the three–membered signs of Tiberius Julius Eupator and Sauromates II, identical in the lower part: the triangle is replaced by a circle, and the upper part is replaced by a symmetrical two-horned image (Fig. 4: 1, 2).

Eupator and Sauromates were in kinship with Rimitalk, who ruled before them (whose sign is unknown to us), and therefore with each other. Therefore, it seems that their signs, along with the differences, have a number of common features. After Sauromat II in 210-211, his son Riskuporid III became the Bosporan king. Despite the significant damage to the monument, the sign is amenable to complete reconstruction (Fig. 4: 3).

It is almost identical to the sign of Sauromat II, differing only in the absence of a second horn in the upper part. Thus, we can talk about some kind of continuity of signs that remind us of the Rurikovich signs, where this principle was maintained more strictly and, unlike our case, there was usually a complication of the sign by introducing additional dashes. The sign of King Ininfimei, who apparently belonged to another dynasty, has a completely different shape. This sign is known on many Sarmatian mirrors and other monuments (Fig. 4: 4), ^{[30, p. 24]}.

Figure 4. Signs of the Bosporan kings on lapidary monuments: 1 – Tiberius Julius Eupator, 2 – Sauromata II, 3 – Riskupornd III, 4 –Ininfim.

The analysis proves that the considered group of images represented the nominal signs of the Bosporan kings. The use of signs borrowed from the local population along with the Greek script reflected the mixed nature of the Bosporan state and its culture. The reason for this was the integration of the Greek population of the Northern Black Sea region with the Sarmatian tribes. Subsequently, the Bosporan kingdom turned into a Greek–Sarmatian state.

In the IV century A.D., the tribes of the Huns defeated the Sarmatians. Subsequently, some of the Sarmatians participated in the great migration of peoples, some mixed with predominantly Turkic-speaking peoples ^[27].

Despite the fact that the Scythian and Sarmatian nomadic peoples differed in some traditions and way of life, their understanding of social processes and the world order, expressed through the animal style of both peoples, were similar. The Scythians and Sarmatians used the same zoomorphic images and scenes of torment in their art. Among the Scythians, animals are more realistic, where the animal style is a cultural code that translates in its images the understanding and perception of the world order by the Scythians. For example, a round "Bars" buckle. The concept of Space is encrypted. Girding the body is order, removing the belt is chaos. The Sarmatians used polychrome style in their products more. Stones were added to precious metal products. The images of animals on Sarmatian products have a significant stylization, sometimes so strong that it is difficult to distinguish what is depicted.

However, one cannot think that under the influence of the Sarmatian culture in the I century AD, everything Scythian completely dissolved and disappeared. The reverse proof of this is the new rise of the Scythian state under Farzoi and Inismei and the archaeological materials of Scythian settlements and burial grounds. For example, Scythian Naples, the Kermen–Kyr settlement at the Krasny state farm and the crypt near Krasnogorsky village, where signs are found, belong to Late Scythian monuments, although greatly complicated by Sarmatian influences. Along with other elements of the Sarmatian culture, the Scythians apparently partially borrowed signs. In accordance with this, the expression "Scythian–Sarmatian signs" is sometimes used, although the Sarmatians played an incomparably large role in their history ^[30].

The origin and evolution of the animal style were dictated by the continuous influence of ancient Greek art of the Archaic and classical eras, as well as the extensive zoomorphic tradition of the Near Asian civilizations (Assyria, Urartu, the legacy of the Hittite state, the "Luristan style", and later - Achaemenid Iran) on the territory of the Black Sea region and the Crimean Peninsula, which allows us to attribute the Scythian–Sarmatian animal style to "the great style" in fine art, comparable to the Greek "classical style". Thus, the Scythian-Sarmatian artistic style has entered into the modern design of Crimean architecture, embodying the continuous continuity of times and styles.

Thus, analyzing the historical, cultural and artistic aspects of the ancient alien civilization, and the autochthonous tribes of the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region, using the example of the nomadic peoples of the Scythians and Sarmatians, we can observe the close interaction of their cultures. All of them influenced the formation of Crimean cultural texts in one way or another. In the works of the Russian cultural critic Diana Sergeevna Berestovskaya (1934-2020), two vectors of dialogue are presented: diachronic – provoking changes (values, worldviews), and synchronous – dialogue within a single socio-cultural space ^[31]. The dialogue of texts of cultures of different ethnic groups of Crimea, expressed through art, architecture and its elements, is an example of the formation of a unique Crimean cultural landscape.

Conclusions. A study of the sources revealed that the "Scythian-Sarmatian animal style" covers not only stylistic methods of representation, but also the influence of the semantic aspect of the object on it, that is, "certain animals depicted in a certain way." Stylistic analysis of the Scythian-Sarmatian images revealed that the animal style was characterized by a specific stylization and canonization of the forms and poses of the animal, as well as its body parts.

The Scythian–Sarmatian pattern occupies a significant place in the cultural landscape of Crimea. A distinctive feature of the Scythian–Sarmatian culture is the animal style of the Scythians. After the conquest of the Scythian lands by the Sarmatians, the animal style organically fit into their cultural pattern. Images in the Scythian animal style performed not only a decorative function, but also had their own zoomorphic code, which revealed the foundations of the worldview of nomadic peoples. Due to the fact that in many cases it is impossible to separate the Scythian elements from the Sarmatian ones according to how much a mixed culture develops in the Northern Black Sea region of the first centuries AD, the term "Scythian–Sarmatian culture" arises.

At the same time, the animal style of the Scythian-Sarmatian culture underwent changes under the influence of the classical ancient style, including the Crimean polis and the Near Asian civilizations, which carry an extensive cultural layer of zoomorphic traditions. This was probably due both to the fact that local craftsmen, using Greek samples, did not always reproduce them accurately, making local changes, and to the fact that the Greek craftsmen who arrived (especially on the Bosporus) fulfilled the orders of the ruling Scythian elite. Thus, we see an example of the synthesis of stylistics and semiotic connotations, which makes the Scythian-Sarmatian pattern in Crimea a unique cultural phenomenon.