Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір
The article introduces into scientific circulation a complete collection of bronze mirrors discovered at the Skorobir necropolis for the first time. The objects originate from the closed complexes of the 6th century BC allowing to trace the archaeological context of the finds and the fe...
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Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine
2025
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| author_institution_txt_mv | [
{
"author": "I. B. Shramko",
"institution": "PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Historiography, Source Studies and Archaeology, Director of the Museum of Archaeology, the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University",
"orcid": ""
}
] |
| author_sort | Shramko, I. B. |
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| container_title | Археологія |
| container_volume | |
| datestamp_date | 2025-07-04T20:04:16Z |
| description | The article introduces into scientific circulation a complete collection of bronze mirrors discovered at the Skorobir necropolis for the first time. The objects originate from the closed complexes of the 6th century BC allowing to trace the archaeological context of the finds and the features of the manufacture of mirrors of different time periods within the same century, as well as making assumptions about their origin and place of manufacture. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.15407/archaeologyua2025.02.046 |
| first_indexed | 2026-08-07T01:05:54Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
НАЦIОНАЛЬНА АКАДЕМIЯ НАУК УКРАЇНИ • IНСТИТУТ АРХЕОЛОГIЇ НАН УКРАЇНИ
НАУКОВИЙ ЖУРНАЛ – ЗАСНОВАНИЙ У 1947 р.
ВИДАЄТЬСЯ ЩОКВАРТАЛЬНО
КИЇВ 2 2025
АРХЕОЛОГIЯ
Головний редактор
ЧАБАЙ В. П., член-кореспондент НАН України, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
Редакцiйна колегiя
БОЛТРИК Ю. В., кандидат iсторичних наук, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
БУЙСЬКИХ А. В., член-кореспондент НАН України, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
ГАРДІ С. Е., PhD, Університет ім. Рея Хуана Карлоса, Іспанія
ДЖIНДЖАН Ф., професор, доктор хаб., почесний професор унiверситету Париж 1 Пантеон
Сорбонна, Францiя
ЗАЛIЗНЯК Л. Л., професор, доктор iсторичних наук, Нацiональний унiверситет
«Києво-Могилянська академiя»
КАЙЗЕР Е., професор, доктор хаб., Вiльний унiверситет Берлiну, Німеччина
ОТРОЩЕНКО В. В., професор, доктор iсторичних наук, Нацiональний унiверситет
«Києво-Могилянська академiя»
ПЛАВІНСЬКИЙ М. О., кандидат історичних наук, Варшавський університет, Польща
ПОТЄХIНА I. Д., кандидат iсторичних наук, Iнститут археологiї НАН України
РАБІНОВІЦ А., PhD, Техаський університет в Остіні, Сполучені штати Америки
ФОРНАСЬЄ Й., професор, доктор хаб., Галле-Віттенбергський університет імені Мартіна Лютера,
Німеччина
ШЕВЧЕНКО T. М., кандидат історичних наук, Інститут археології НАН України (вiдповiдальний секретар)
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF UKRAINE • INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY NAS OF UKRAINE
SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL – FOUNDED IN 1947
FREQUENCY: QUARTERLY
Editor-in-Chief
CHABAI V. P., Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Institute of Archaeology
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Editorial Board
BOLTRYK Yu. V., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
BUISKYKH A. V., Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
DJINDJIAN F., Professor, Dr. Hab., Professor of the University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, France
FORNASIER J., Professor, Dr. Hab., Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
HARDY S. A., PhD, Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain
KAISER E., Professor, Dr. Hab., Free University of Berlin, Germany
OTROSHCHENKO V. V., Professor, DSc in History, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
PLAVINSKI M. O., PhD in History, University of Warsaw, Poland
POTEKHINA I. D., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine
RABINOWITZ A., PhD in Classical Archaeology, University of Texas at Austin, the USA
SHEVCHENKO T. M., PhD in History, Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine (Executive Secretary)
ZALIZNIAK L. L., Professor, DSc in History, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
ARHEOLOGIA
KYIV 2 2025
ЗМIСТ CONTENTS
Articles
БІЛИНСЬКИЙ О. О. Процеси урбанізації ран-
нього залізного віку в східноєвропейскьому лісо-
степу: вступ до теми
ФІАЛКО О. Є. Топова жіноча прикраса з кургану
Огуз
ШРАМКО І. Б. Бронзові дзеркала з поховань
курганного некрополя Скоробір
VOZNYI I. P. Familiarising the Population of the
Northern Part of Bukovina with Firearms in the
Second Half of the 14th — 15th Centuries
Discoveries and Recent Finds
ОЗ Дж. Загальна оцінка елліністичної кераміки з
Мири та Андріаке
History of Science
KOROST I. I. The Set of Sites of the Territory and
Vicinity of the Bilsk Hillfort: Main Results of the
Initial Stage of Research
Статтi
BILYNSKYI O. O. Processes of Early Iron Age
Urbanisation of Eastern European Forest-Steppe:
The State of the Art
FIALKO О. Ye. Top Women’s Jewellery From
the Ohuz Kurgan
SHRAMKO I. B. Bronze Mirrors from the Burials
of the Skorobir Necropolis
ВОЗНИЙ І. П. Ознайомлення населення пів-
нічної частини Буковини з вогнепальною
зброєю в другій половині ХІV—ХV ст.
Новi вiдкриття та знахiдки
ÖZ C. A General Evaluation of the Hellenistic
Pottery from Myra and Andriake
Iсторiя науки
КОРОСТ І. І. Комплекс пам’яток території й
округи Більського городища: головні підсумки
робіт на початковому етапі дослідження
5
32
46
68
91
111
Хронiка
До 60-рiччя Iгоря Готуна
Пам’яті Світлани Бессонової
News Review
To the 60th anniversary of Ihor Hotun
In memory of Svitlana Bessonova
147
149
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 246
УДК: 904.2:686.7(477.53)”638”-034.3 https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2025.02.046
© SHRAMKO Iryna Borysivna, 2025 — PhD, Associate
Professor of the Department of Historiography, Source
Studies and Archaeology, Director of the Museum
of Archaeology, the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National
University, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1009-
9262, i.b.shramko@кarazin.ua
© Інститут археології НАН України, 2025
BRONZE MIRRORS FROM THE BURIALS
OF THE SKOROBIR NECROPOLIS*
I. B. SHRAMKO
and reasons for such changes; different versions
are put forward regarding the origin and manu-
facture of mirrors with side handles found in the
Ukrainian forest-steppe (Кузнецова 1972, с. 17-
18; 2002, с. 139; 2010, с. 236-241; 2017a, с. 105-
107; 2017b, с. 474; Полін 1987, с. 23-24; Ольгов-
ський 2011, с. 174-175; Ольговский 2014, c. 223-
226; 2017, с. 478-479; Зуев 2021, с. 139 et al.).
The questions about the origin, place of production,
and manufacturing technique of complex mirrors
decorated in the Scythian animal style are answered
in different ways (Скуднова 1962, с. 5, 7, 12, 21-
25; Барцева 1981, с. 69-72; Скржинская 1984,
с. 115-123; Полін 1987, с. 23-24; Гуцал А., Гу-
цал В. 2009, с. 133; Полидович 2010, с. 92-93;
Кузнецова 2010, с. 198, 237-241; Ольговський
2011, с. 167-170; Ольговский 2014, с. 218-235;
Кузнецова, Оборин 2022 et al.). Among the main
possible centres of their production, researchers
usually mention Olbia (Граков 1947, с. 28; Фур-
манская 1953, с. 52; Островерхов 1978, с. 10;
Скржинская 1984, с. 121-122 et al.). T. B. Barceva
drew attention to certain similar features of the reci-
pe and raw materials of some “Olbian” and “Greek”
mirrors, emphasising their imported nature for the
sites of the forest-steppe, but in her opinion, it is too
early to definitively consider Olbia as the place of
their production (1981, с. 71-72). Among the for-
est-steppe centres with developed metalworking,
the Bilsk hillfort attracts the attention of the schol-
ars (Шрамко 1987, с. 104-106, 113-121; Трейстер
1998; Кузнецова 2010, с. 186; Ольговський 2011,
с. 149-150; Ольговский 2014, с. 178-185, 193 et
al.). In addition, it has been suggested that similar
mirrors could have been made in different work-
shops, both barbarian and Olbian (Скуднова 1962,
с. 22-23; Онайко 1966, с. 35; Барцева 1981, с. 68,
72; Гуцал A., Гуцал B. 2009, с. 132; Кузнецо-
ва 2010, с. 197 et al.). In the latter, according to
S. Ya. Olhovskyi, wandering craftsmen of barbarian
origin could also work (Ольговский 2014, с. 194-
196; 2016, с. 195-197).
Recently, the idea has been proposed in the
scientific literature that all variants of mirrors of
this type should be considered not “Olbian”, but
The article introduces into scientific circulation a
complete collection of bronze mirrors discovered
at the Skorobir necropolis for the first time. The
objects originate from the closed complexes of the
6th century BC allowing to trace the archaeologi-
cal context of the finds and the features of the man-
ufacture of mirrors of different time periods within
the same century, as well as making assumptions
about their origin and place of manufacture.
K e y w o r d s : Dnipro forest-steppe Left-bank re-
gion, Bilsk settlement, Skorobir necropolis, bronze
mirrors, 6th century BC.
In the burials of the Scythian Archaic period in the
forest-steppe region, mirrors are found only occa-
sionally and constitute a small percentage among
other categories of objects. Unfortunately, a much
larger number of them belong to accidental finds,
which makes it difficult to solve many issues re-
lated to their dating, origin, place of manufacture,
etc.
In the 6th century BC, noticeable changes oc-
cured in the early Scythian material complex,
which were especially felt starting from the second
half of the century, (Алексеев 2003, с. 153; Греч-
ко 2012, с. 76, 79-84). At this century new types
of mirrors appeared on the territory of the forest-
steppe Scythia — along with archaic forms with a
central handle in the form of a loop or two columns
covered with a plaque, there were specimens with
a simple side iron handle, solid bronze mirrors of
the so-called “Olbian” or “Scythian” type were
gradually gaining popularity (Скуднова 1962,
с. 7, 22-23; Кузнецова 2021, с. 36 et al.). There
is no consensus among researchers about the time
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ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 2 47
“Borysthenian” (Зуев 2017, с. 144-154). In our
opinion, there is no convincing evidence for such
a conclusion yet, which has been noted by other
researchers (Манычев et al. 2004, с. 37, 39-40;
Ольговский 2014, с. 85-88; Кузнецова 2021,
с. 47-48), i.e. the issue of the Berezan production
center remains unsolved.
Therefore, the places of manufacture of mir-
rors of the “Olbian” or “Scythian” types have not
yet been established. Mirrors with side iron handles
are generally associated with the local forest-steppe
workshops (Кузнецова 2002, с. 139; 2010, с. 186;
Ольговський 2011, с. 175-177 et al.).
The hypothesis of attribution of some mirrors
with a rim (with central and side handles) as ves-
sels, the possibility of their dual use, also remains
debatable (Кузнецова 2010, с. 261-262; 2017b,
с. 470-472; 2021, с. 37-38; Гуцал A., Гуцал B.
2009, с. 125-134; Бандрівський 2010, с. 160-
161; Зуев 2019a, с. 18-20).
The relevance of the problem of the Scythian
mirrors is especially important for us, since recent-
ly, during the excavation of burial mounds in one
of the largest burial grounds of the Bilsk hillfort —
the Skorobir necropolis, new samples of different
types of mirrors were discovered, which allows us
to return to this topic again1.
Materials and Methods
Over many years of research, more than a hun-
dred barrows in the necropolis of the Bilsk hill-
fort have revealed a small number of bronze mir-
rors of different types. Thus, out of nine recorded
cases, only four can be said to be whole products
or objects with minor damages caused by metal
corrosion. Among these we included the mirrors
found in the barrows nos. 2/1965 (Шрамко 1994,
с. 105, рис. 3, с. 107), 1/2017 (Шрамко, Задни-
ков 2018, с. 15, рис. 6: 5), 2/2019 (Шрамко, За-
дніков 2020, с. 9) and 2/2020 (Шрамко, Задніков
2021, с. 13) of the Skorobir necropolis, as well as
a mirror from the barrow no. 2/2002 of the Peresh-
chepyne necropolis (Кулатова, Супруненко 2010,
с. 113-114, рис. 123). Two of the four complexes
(barrows nos. 2/1965 and 2/2019) were not robbed.
In some cases, the presence of a mirror in a grave
was established only by small fragments of bronze
discs (Pereshchepyne, mound 2/2001 and 1/2002;
Marchenky, mound 1/1995, burial 1 (Кулатова,
1 The mirrors from this necropolis discussed in the article are
published for the first time.
Супруненко 2010, с. 95, рис. 103: 6-7; с. 159,
рис. 178: 5, с. 170). The possible usage of a mirror
in the funeral rite of the barrow no. 1/2001 of the
Pereshchepyne burial ground was indicated by the
shape of the decayed leather bag (Кулатова, Супру-
ненко 2010, с. 73).
We should also note an accidental find of a com-
plete bronze mirror with a rim, a central handle in
the shape of two columns covered with a plaque
(Кулатова, Луговий 2003, с. 83), and a mirror with
part of a disc and a handle with zoomorphic design in
the shape of a ram’s head (Задников, Шрамко 2017,
с. 259, рис. 10: 25; 12: 21), originating from the ter-
ritory of the Bilsk hillfort and its surroundings. We
consider these objects, not related to a specific ne-
cropolis, as artefacts that do not have a corresponding
context, but demonstrate the diversity of this catego-
ry of products that belonged to the local population.
In the general background of the formed col-
lection of mirrors of the Scythian period, found
within the Bilsk archaeological complex, the most
informative material source for the Archaic peri-
od are four mirrors with side handles, originating
from the burials of the Skorobir burial mound ne-
cropolis (fig. 1).
All objects were recorded in situ, have an appro-
priate archaeological context, and are in a satisfac-
tory state of preservation. In all cases, it can be as-
sumed that women who had a special status during
their lifetime were buried with mirrors (Шрамко
1976, с. 208; 1994, с. 107; Shramko, Zadnikov
2021, p. 143-145; Shramko 2024, p. 24-25).
In order to obtain additional information about
the buried individuals and to study the mirrors
found with them completely, in addition to archae-
ological methods, natural science methods were
applied. Thus, based on the results of the anthropo-
logical study of bones from barrows nos. 1/2019,
2/2017, and 2/2020, the gender and age character-
istics of the buried were determined2. In two cases
(nos. 1/2017 and 2/2020), the preliminary conclu-
sions of anthropologists were confirmed by the re-
sults of the DNA analysis3.
The features of the elemental composition of sub-
stances in the metal of the bronze parts of the mir-
rors (a disc, a holder, a handle, a predator figure, a
retainer) were established in various research cen-
tres: the Institute of Applied Physics of the NAS of
2 Definition of Dr. Hab. of Medicine O. Yu. Vovk and PhD
in Medicine A. V. Artemiev.
3 The samples were examined by Dr. Hab. of Biology
O. M. Utevska.
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 248
Fig. 1. Scheme of the Skorobir necropolis in part of the “Seventh Field” and “Sixth Field” sections with markings of the barrows
containing mirrors: 1 — barrows; 2 — barrows in which mirrors were found
Ukraine (Sumy)4, by PhD in History T. Yu. Hoshko5
4 X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) using the X-ray
spectrometer “ElvaXProSpector 3” was performed by PhD in
Physical and Mechanical Sciences O. M. Buhai. For general
characteristics of the device, see: Шрамко 2023, с. 102.
5 The metal analysis of the two mirrors was carried out using
the “ElvaX Basic” spectrometer.
and in the production engineering laboratory of the
ELVATECH Ltd (Kyiv)6, which provided a more ob-
jective and complete picture of the alloy formulation
6 Control measurements of the metal composition of the mirrors
using the X-ray diffraction analyser “ProSpector 3 Advanced”
were carried out by chemist-technologist D. Ye. Tsvir.
1 centimeter equals 100 metres.
Continuous horizontal lines are drawn every 2 metres
Baltic system of heights
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 2 49
and features of the raw materials. The results of the
analyses are given in table 1. Quantitative indicators
of some detected elements (Mn, Al, Si, S,Ti, Cd, Hg,
Cr, Al) are not included in the table, elements such as
Bi, Au were not detected. The presence of significant
amounts of phosphorus and iron in the metal of some
mirrors requires separate additional research.
General characteristics of objects
We have classified the considered mirrors into
three types, from different time periods within the
same century. The first type is characterised by a
flat round bronze disc without a rim, a lateral iron
handle without decoration (fig. 2: 1–2); the second
is a flat round bronze disc without a rim; the later-
al iron handle is decorated with a bronze figure of
a feline predator in the style of the early Scythian
art (fig. 2: 3); the third is made of solid bronze of a
complex design, the so-called “Olbian” or “Scyth-
ian” type, the disc has a vertical rim; the lateral
fluted handle is decorated with a stylised figure of
a feline predator (fig. 2: 4).
Mirrors with a Flat Disc and a Side Iron
Handle Without Decoration.
We attributed two objects found in the southern
and central parts of the necropolis, in the Skorobir
tract, to this type.
A mirror from the barrow no. 2/20207, located
in the central part of the burial ground (fig. 1) in the
“Shoste Pole” (“Sixth Field” — in English) area, was
discovered in the part of the grave that was not robbed.
7 Repository of the Historical and Cultural Reserve “Bilsk”,
inventory no. A488/18, excavations by I. B. Shramko.
Item description. Bimetallic, composite
(fig. 3: 1). The flat, rimless, round disc turned out
to be broken into five pieces. A thin disc is clamped
between the ends of an iron plate and connected
using bronze rivets (fig. 3: 1c), 0.4 cm in diameter.
The front surface of the disc, in places not covered
with patina, has retained its brightness and shine
(fig. 3: 2b), on the reverse side, the surface is not
polished, scratches and irregularities are visible on
the metal (fig. 3: 2a).
Total length of the object — 29.7 cm, diameter
of the disc — 14.7 cm, thickness — 0.2–0.3 cm,
length of the iron handle — 17.4 cm, width of the
middle part of the handle — 3 cm, the extension at
the ends of the handle — 3.4–3.8 cm, thickness of
the handle — 1 cm8, total weight of the mirror —
442 g (the weight of the disc with the remains of the
handle is 347 g, the weight of the handle — 95 g.).
Archaeological context. The burial chamber
in plan was a quadrangular pit with rounded cor-
ners, 4.3–4.6 m long, 2.65–2.75 m wide, oriented
with its long axis along the north-south line, and
covered with wide wooden planks. A horse grave
chamber was attached to one of the corners of the
main one. The burial was robbed, only individual
bones of the buried remained.
The large size of the burial chamber indicated
that it was intended for two deceased people. Based
on the results of the study of anthropological ma-
terial and DNA analysis of dental samples9 taken
from the northern part of the grave, it was deter-
8 By the time it was found, it was broken off from the disc;
the metal was corroded.
9 Definition by Dr. Hab. of Biology O. M. Utevska.
Fig. 2. Bimetallic and solid bronze mirrors from the Skorobir necropolis. 1 — barrow no. 2/2020 (type 1); 2 — barrow no. 2/2019
(type 1); 3 — barrow no. 2/1965 (type 2); 4 — barrow no. 1/2017 (type 3)
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 250
mined that one of the buried was a woman. It can
be assumed that the mirror, iron awl, and moulded
ware (a storage jar, a scoop and a cup) found in the
eastern part of the grave were intended for her. The
mirror is recorded at the point of 1.58–1.62 m from
the benchmark (the bottom of the grave).
The objects we attributed to the “male set”
(an iron armour, a quiver set, horse bridle parts,
Fig. 3. Bimetallic mirror from the barrow no. 2/2020: 1 — general view; 2 — fragments of the reverse (a) and front (b) sides of
the bronze disc (enlarged), photo by I. B. Shramko
1
2
a b
a b
c
сm
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 2 51
an iron dagger, metal knives, etc.) were found in
the western part of the grave. Taking into account
the entire set of the items, we previously dated the
complex quite broadly, within the first half of the
6th century BC (Шрамко, Задніков 2021, с. 14),
but the more probable date for the burial is the first
quarter of the century10.
Mirror from the barrow no. 2/201911, located
in the southern part of the Skorobir burial ground
(fig. 1), in the “Siome Pole” (“Seventh Field” —
in English) area.
Item description. Bimetallic, composite (fig. 4:
1, 2). On the flat bronze disc (without a rim) on both
sides there are clear traces of an iron rectangular
handle (fig. 4: 1a–b), which has been partially pre-
served (fig. 4: 2). The handle was connected to the
disc using rivets. On the surface of the disc, on one
side, there were fabric imprints (fig. 4: 3).
Total length of the object — 29 cm, diameter of
the disc — 13.7 cm, thickness — 0.2 cm; the iron
handle has been preserved for a length of 14 cm,
had a maximum width of — 2.1 cm, thickness —
0.9 cm; weight of the mirror — 281 g.
Archaeological context. The object was found at
the bottom of a burial chamber that had a rectangu-
lar shape in plan (4.75 × 4.40 m) and was oriented
according to the cardinal points with a slight devia-
tion to the north-west. The wooden tomb measured
3.8 × 4.6 m. The burial was not robbed. At the bot-
tom of the grave, at a depth of 1.25 m from the level
of the buried ground, on the wooden floorboards, the
skeletal remains of a young female12 were preserved,
who was laid on her back, head to the west. On the
bones of the skull there were gold plaques from a
headdress; in the head area — gold temple earrings,
in the sternum and arms area — metal bracelets, a
necklace made of semi-precious stones, amber, an
Egyptian amulet and a faience bead, iron pins, and
the remains of a leather bag (Shramko, Tarasen-
ko 2022, р. 145, fig. 3, Shramko 2024, p. 16-20,
fig. 7–8). To the right of the skull there was a mirror
with the remains of a wooden case (fig. 4: 3–4), in-
10 Some objects (square-shaped gold plaques) from the burial
have analogues in a nearby barrow from the first quarter of
the 6th century BC, inv. no. 1/2016 (Шрамко 2017, с. 377-
378, рис. 7: 4–5; Shramko 2024, p. 12, fig. 5), while (a
bone buckle from a horse bridle) have a direct analogy in
one of the early Scythian mounds of Trans-Cuban, (Пе-
тренко, Маслов, Канторович 2000, с. 241, рис. 3, 4: 5),
dated no earlier than the turn of the 7th—6th centuries BC
(Петренко, Маслов, Канторович 2000, с. 246).
11 Repository of the Historical and Cultural Reserve “Bilsk”,
inv. no. A 469/59, excavations by I. B. Shramko.
12 Definition by PhD in Medicine A. V. Artemiev.
tended for a young woman who belonged to the local
elite (Shramko 2024, p. 24–25). The set of items was
complemented by a stone dish, moulded ware, and
clay spindle whorls. Moreover, parts of a horse bri-
dle and weapons were left in the south-east corner of
the grave. According to the accompanying inventory,
the complex is dated to the second quarter — mid-
6th century BC (Шрамко, Задніков 2020, с. 12-13;
Shramko 2024, p. 15). The chronologyof the burial
is determined by the types of bone bit shanks and a
quiver set, in which points with a tower-shaped head
predominate quantitatively, as well as an iron akinak,
similar to that found in the Shumeiko barrow of the
second quarter of the 6th century BC (Гречко 2012,
с. 92; Полідович 2019, с. 326-328; Топал 2021,
с. 139-143) and barrow no. 377 of the Mamai Hora
burial ground (Андрух, Тощев 2022, с. 410, рис. 3:
1–3) of the same time.
Bimetallic Mirrors with a Flat Disc and a Side
Handle Decorated in the Scythian Animal Style.
Represented by a single item found in the bar-
row no. 2/196513 (fig. 5: 1), located in the south-
ern part of the burial ground, in the “Siome Pole”
area (fig. 1).
Item description. A composite, flat bronze disc
without a rim. The iron handle is attached to the disc
with two rivets. The end of the handle is decorat-
ed with a cast bronze figure of a panther. The pan-
ther is connected to the handle by a bronze holder/
muff (fig. 5: 2–3), which also served as a stand for
the predator.
The panther is made in the Scythian animal style.
In general terms, it resembles the famous Kelermes
panther, but has certain differences. The animal is
shown with bent legs (with the centre of balance of
the figure shifted to the rear). The head is lowered,
the neck is tilted forward, the ears are oval in shape,
narrowed upwards, the auricles are represented by
small longitudinal vertical recessions. The eyes and
nose are represented by round recesses (the eyes are
very deep, the nostrils are approximately the same
size, but asymmetrically located) (fig. 5: 3, 4). The
half-open maw is represented by an angular recess,
which in profile has a triangular shape (fig. 5: 4 a–b,
d). In general, the lower part of the muzzle is flat, and
the lower jaw almost touches the front, half-bent legs
at the elbows, however, still separated, (fig. 5: 3).
The body has an elongated shape, round in
cross-section. Its overall elegance and conven-
tionality are notable, with a noticeable widening
13 Stored in the Repository of the Museum of Archaeology
of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University,
inv. no. 6438, excavations by B. A. Shramko.
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Fig. 4. Bimetallic mirror from the barrow no. 2/2019: 1 — general view; 2 — a fragment of an iron handle; 3 — fragments
of a disc with a fabric imprint (enlarged); 4 — location of the mirror in the burial; 5 — remains of a wooden case, photo by
I. B. Shramko
сm1
1ba
5
2 3
4 5
a
b
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Fig. 5. Bimetallic mirror from the barrow no. 2/1965: 1 — a field photo of the mirror discovered in situ, from the archive of
B. A. Shramko; 2 — general view; 3–4 — a bronze figurine of a panther on a stand from different angles, photos by S. A. Zadnikov
and I. B. Shramko
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at the hips and a tapering at the top of the neck,
shoulder girdle, and below, on the abdomen (fig. 5:
4a–c). The hips have a smooth outline, the shoul-
der is highlighted by a rectangular relief elevation
(fig. 5: 3a, 4a–b). On the inner side of the thighs
and shoulders, four paws are represented by re-
cessions, but in the lower part they are not sepa-
rated (fig. 5: 3a). The hind legs are parallel to the
elongated body with a tucked thin tail, the end of
which is curled into a loop (fig. 5: 4a–b). Stylistic
features are the semi-circular ends of the legs and
tail. According to some researchers, the animal’s
paws end in stylised bird heads with curled beaks
(Шрамко 1976, с. 199, рис. 3: 14; Кузнецова
2010, с. 186; Полідович 2025, с. 326).
Total length of the mirror — 29 cm14, disc with
the preserved part of the handle — 19.7 cm, diam-
eter of the disc — 13.2 cm, thickness — 0.2 cm,
length of the fragment of the iron handle — 6.5 cm,
width — 2.7 cm, thickness — 0.5 cm. The length
of the panther figure — 5.5 cm, height — 3 cm,
thickness — 1.4 cm, height of the bronze stand —
5.1 cm, width — 2.5 cm (table 1). The total weight
of the object with the remains of the iron handle —
265 g. The weight of the disc — 173 g, the panther
figure with the stand — 70 g.
Archaeological context. The mirror has been
published first in the context of a funerary complex
relatively recently (Шрамко 1994, с. 102-126). The
burial turned out to be intact, not robbed, despite
the presence of gold objects in it. The grave was a
simple rectangular pit (1.5 × 2.0 m) with a wood-
en top cover, 0.5 m deep from the level of the bur-
ied ground. A small bronze pin and a glass neck-
lace with gold beads were found around the neck
and chest of the deceased, and a bronze nail-shaped
pin was found on the left, above the shoulder. Re-
mains of bones from sacrificial food and a knife
were found to the right of the deceased. Against
the right humerus was a bimetallic mirror, next to
which there was a black-polished cup with a promi-
nent edge decorated with oblique notches, two piec-
es of realgar, and a piece of sulfur.
The unusualness of this burial lies in the presence
of an ash-hill, which was discovered a few metres
north-west of the burial pit (Шрамко 1994, с. 103).
Based on the remains of burnt straw and grains of
various cereals found in the ash-hill, as well as cult
clay models of grains, and some other features of the
14 Unfortunately, the iron part of the handle was preserved
only in fragments, so the overall size of the mirror and
the length of the handle were determined from a field
photograph of the object recorded in situ (fig. 5: 1).
ritual, the complex was interpreted as the burial of a
priestess associated with agricultural cults (Шрамко
1976, с. 207-208; 1987, с. 145-146).
The object complex (paste beads, small beads,
beads made of gold hemispheres, a bronze pin
with a biconical head, a black-polished cup dec-
orated with notches along the edge, a fragment of
an iron knife) does not give a narrow date, but we
have reason to believe that the woman was bur-
ied around the middle or at the beginning of the
third quarter of the 6th century BC. This date is in-
dicated by the shape and the ornamentation of the
black-polished cup, which are similar to the sam-
ples of wares found in the filling of one of the dug-
outs (ash-hill no. 11, Western Bilsk), the pit of
which was abandoned in the second quarter of the
6th century BC and in deposits of the third quarter
of the 6th century outside the dwelling (Шрамко Б.,
Шрамко І., Задніков 2018, с. 139), in household
pit no. 17 (ash-hill no. 28, Western Bilsk) togeth-
er with a tower-shaped arrowhead (Шрамко et al.
2021, с. 368, рис. 10: 10), common for the second
quarter — the middle of this century, as well as in
the barrow no. 57 (1/2020) of the Skorobir necrop-
olis (Гречко et al. 2021, с. 22, рис. 10) dated to
580/570–560–550 BC (Grechko 2024, p. 70).
In the second half of the 6th century BC, mirrors
of a different type spread throughout the territory
of the forest-steppe Scythia, one of the variants of
which was found in the Skorobir necropolis.
Solid Bronze Mirrors with a Rim and Side
Handle Decorated with a Stylised Panther Figure.
Represented by one item discovered in the
barrow no. 1/201715 during the study of the barrow
group in the central part of the burial ground (fig. 1),
in the “Siome Pole” area (Szramko 2018, р. 25-26).
Item description: solid bronze, assembled
from several separately manufactured parts (fig. 6:
1). On the inner surface (with a vertical edge),
there is a clear relief semi-oval at the place where
the handle is attached, and under the disc there is
an oval protrusion that served as a retainer, and
on the side of the mirror surface, the transition
from the disc to the handle is smooth, forming
one line with it, without a ledge. The end of the
handle opposite the disc is decorated with a cast
stylised figure of a panther with an elongated body
with thin, half-bent legs, a tilted head, a rounded
ear, a straight back and a lowered tail (fig. 6:
2).The rump and tail of the animal are almost not
15 The item is stored in the Repository of the Historical and
Cultural Reserve “Bilsk”, inv. no А453/152, excavations
by I. B. Shramko.
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Fig. 6. Solid bronze mirror from the barrow no. 1/2017: 1 — general view; 2 — a bronze figurine of a panther on a stand; 3 —
fragments of a disc with a rim (enlarged), photo by S. A. Zadnikov and I. B. Shramko
сm
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separated, the limbs are transferred conditionally,
and do not have ring endings. The ear, forehead,
mouth, and tail are accented with small triangular
indentations made with a tool from an already
cast figure mounted on a smooth, unprofiled base
(fig. 6: 2а–с). From the front, the animal’s head
is turned to the left. In cross-section, the mirror
handle is embossed, with three slightly flattened
ribs and longitudinal recesses 0.1–0.2 mm deep.
At the point of connection of the pommel with the
shaft of the handle, there are visible metal inflows,
in the upper part of the handle — traces of forging
(fig. 6: 1, 2a, c). They are fixed in an area up to
2.0 cm, where the handle is slightly flattened and
noticeably deformed. From the inner side of the
rim, parallel lines are drawn around the entire
perimeter at a certain angle (fig. 6: 3c). Near the
handle, on the inner surface of the disc, there are
also visible scratches in the form of several crossed
lines (fig. 6: 3d), and on the surface of the disc —
radial marks from the abrasive (fig. 6: 3a). On the
edge of the partially cut side, up to 0.2–0.3 mm,
there is also noticeable metal deformation and a
crack (fig. 6: 3d). We should also pay attention to
the dent (fig. 6: 3b), which was formed as a result
of a blow with a sharp object on the front (outer)
side of the mirror — probably traces of a kind of
ritual of neutralisation. In some places on the front
side (without a rim) of the mirror, the polished
surface has been preserved (fig. 6: 1b).
Total length — 32.8 cm, disc diameter —
18.7 cm, rim height — 1.1 cm, near the handle —
0.5–0.8 cm. The handle has a total length of 14.2 cm,
width — 2 cm, thickness — 0.4–0.6 cm. The bronze
panther figure at the end of the handle has a length
of 2.3 cm, width — 0.9 cm, height — 1.8 cm. The
figure height — 3.5 cm, length — 5.5 cm. The
height of the stand — 0.8 cm, width — 2.3 cm. The
stand is not profiled. Mirror weight — 688 g.
Archaeological context. The object was
discovered in a burial chamber of sub-square
shape, measuring 3.5 × 3.9 m, along the walls of
which the remains of a wooden structure were
preserved. The tomb was robbed in ancient times;
however, the funerary items located along the
perimeter were covered by shifted soil at the time
of the robbery, as a result of which they survived
and this allowed them to be recorded in situ. Two
people were buried in the grave: a middle-aged
man and a young woman16, who were laid on their
16 Definition by Dr. Hab. of Medicine O. Yu. Vovk. DNA
analysis of teeth was carried out by Dr. Hab. of Biology
O. M. Utevska.
backs, heads facing west. The young woman had
ritual objects laid out against the eastern wall of
the chamber: moulded Greek tableware, a stone
slab, a game set, a horn dish, and a mirror (Шрам-
ко, Задников 2018, с. 9-10). A gold plaque from
a headdress was found at the place where the
robbers entered. The special status of the buried
woman was also indicated by a set of leather goods
of Central European manufacture, a set of ritual
objects and Greek tableware (Shramko, Zadnikov
2021, р. 136, fig. 12).
We previously dated the burial to the last third
of the 6th century BC, but later we were able to
narrow down the date based on certain similarities
in the features of the funeral rite and the types of
some categories of objects with the burial complex
discovered in the barrow no. 1/2013, dated to the end
of the 6th century BC (Шрамко, Задніков 2014, с. 36-
38; Шрамко 2016, с. 278). Therefore, in our opinion,
the burial in the barrow no. 1/2017 was carried out
within the last quarter of the 6th century BC.
Results and Discussion
The earliest in the Skorobir collection is a mirror
from the barrow no. 2/2020, similar to which was
found in the barrow no. 3/1983 near Hladkivshchy-
na village in the left-bank Dnipro forest-steppe re-
gion (Григорьев, Скорый 2012, c. 447-448, рис. 7:
3), which may indicate their existence in a close
time range17, within the first quarter of the 6th cen-
tury BC. It is more difficult to find close analogies
for the mirror from the barrow no. 2/2019 due to
the poor state of preservation of the handle, but in
terms of its main features it has certain similari-
ties with the mirror from Severynivka (Смирнова
1961, с. 94, 100, рис. 11; Lifantii, Shelekhan 2016,
p. 267). Therefore, mirrors with side iron han-
dles, similar to Skorobir type 1, appear in the For-
est-Steppe as early as the beginning — first quarter
of the 6th century BC. The early specimens known
today do not belong to those that imitated the Co-
rinthian ones (in particular, the “Repiahuvata Mo-
hyla”, tomb no. 2) (Ильинская, Мозолевский,
Тереножкин, 1980, c. 48, рис. 20: 3) or the Ar-
17 Both items come from burials dated no later than the first
quarter of the 6th century BC (Григорьев, Скорый 2012,
c. 447-448, рис. 7: 3, с. 457). They have flat, rimless round
bronze discs and long iron handles with extensions at the
ends, the design of which differs from those Scythian mir-
rors that imitate Greek (Corinthian or Argivian) types, dat-
ed no earlier than the beginning of the second quarter or
the second third of the 6th century BC (Кузнецова 2017a,
с. 105; 2017b, с. 474).
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give (in particular, barrow no. 20 of the Nartan bur-
ial ground) (Батчаев, Барцева, Керефов 1985,
табл. 48: 53), as T. M. Kuznetsova drew attention to
(Кузнецова 2010, с. 30-31; 2017, с. 105-107) and
they probably have a different origin. The idea of
using mirrors with a flat disc and a long side handle
made of another material could have been borrowed
by the nomads in one of the regions of Western Asia
(Albenda 1985, р. 4-7), but iron handles were not
used in this region, that is, in our case we can see
the combination of a flat bronze disc with an iron
handle connected by rivets in one of the workshops
of the Caucasian region, which worked on behalf
of the Scythians. S. Ya. Olhovskyi (Ольговський
2011, с. 174-175) also suggests considering the An-
cient East as “one of the possible ways of penetra-
tion of mirrors with a side handle into the Northern
Black Sea Region”18.
In addition, at the same time, in the territo-
ry of the forest-steppe, there are known cas-
es when broken central handles on rather ar-
chaic mirrors19, common for the 7th century BC,
were replaced with side ones. This practice is re-
corded from the materials of the “Zakhareiko-
va Mohyla” burial mounds in the Middle Dnipro
(Ильинская, Мозолевский, Тереножкин 1980,
с. 59-60, рис. 36: 3), the burial from Postoliv-
ka, and the barrow from Lenkivtsi in the Mid-
dle Dnister (Мелюкова 1953, с. 62, рис. 28: 3;
Бандрівський 2014, с. 349)20. In both cases, lo-
cal craftsmen acted in the same way: they cut off
part of the rim and attached the side forged iron
handle to the disc with metal rivets, that is, to fix
the new type of handle, a different, fairly simple
technique was used, which actually changed the
type of the handle. Later, combined (bimetallic)
versions of handles appeared, decorated with ad-
ditional elements using another method of con-
necting individual parts. An example of such
changes, in our opinion, can be the mirror from
the barrow no. 2/1965 of the Skorobir necropo-
lis, which we attributed to the second type.
The scientific literature has put forward sever-
al assumptions regarding the features of this mirror,
which is to one degree or another associated with
the Ancient Greek tradition, mirrors of the “Olbian
18 Translated into English by I. B. Shramko.
19 Such mirrors are recognised as imported ones, made in
various workshops in the eastern regions of Eurasia (Бар-
цева 1981, с. 65-67).
20 In our opinion, the date of the complexes does not go beyond
the first half, or even the first quarter of the 6th century BC.
type”21 (Кузнєцова 2002, с. 204-205; 2010, c. 186,
192, табл. 124; 2021, с. 41, рис. 4; Ольговський
2011, с. 150) or, on the contrary, emphasises that it is
not even similar to them (Зуєв 2020, с. 286), is seen
as an object of Greek import (Шрамко 1987, с. 123)
or does not exclude the possibility of its manufacture
in the workshops of the Bilsk settlement (Кузнецова
2010, с. 186; Ольговський 2011, с. 150).
In our opinion, in terms of type and design, the
Skorobir item is closer to a fairly archaic mirror
with a flat, rimless disc, a side handle, decorated
with a figure of a predator, found near the city of
Maikop in the Northern Caucasus (Смирнов 1964,
с. 227, 372, рис. 81: 4). The features of its design
indicate a general, local Scythian idea and have
rather early parallels that are not related to the An-
cient Greek world (Полидович 2010, с. 192-193).
The figure of a predator on the mirror no. 2/1965
is connected to an iron handle by a bronze holder
that served as a stand.
Mirrors with a flat disc, the iron handle of which
was decorated with bronze elements, are quite rare;
over the long period of research into the antiquities
of the Ukrainian forest-steppe, apart from the Sko-
robir, they have only been found in burial mounds
of a similar time range. They are located on the
territory of the left-bank Dnipro forest-steppe re-
gion: barrows nos. 449/1889 near Hladkivshchy-
na village (Галанина 1977, с. 38, 43, табл. 21:
4, 4а) and 6/1899 near Basivka village (Ханен-
ко, Ханенко 1900, с. 8, табл. XLIV: 351; Ильин-
ская 1968, табл. XXX: 3), as well as on the right-
bank Dnipro region: no. 447/1904 near Zhurav-
ka village (Бобринской 1905, с. 92-94, рис. 27;
Ильинская 1975, с. 26, табл. XII: 20). Iron han-
dles may indicate that they were made in local
workshops (Кузнецова 2010, с. 186-189).
Clarification of the dates of these burial com-
plexes demonstrates the existence on the territo-
ry of the forest-steppe Scythia of a stable tradi-
tion of using bimetallic handles with a coupling
21 T. M. Kuznetsova (Кузнєцова 2010, с. 186) included the
mirror in the catalogue of Scythian mirrors, among which
it took a special place (2nd variant, species II, type I, sub-
group II, groups 5, division II, class II), forming a sepa-
rate variant of the type (the handle barrel without orna-
ment; at the end there is a figure of an animal). Based on
the certain compositional coincidence between the figures
of panthers on the handles of mirrors found near the vil-
lage of Oksiutyntsi in the left-bank Dnipro forest-steppe re-
gion, Krymgireevske village in the Northern Caucasus and
in the barrow no. 2/1965 of the Skorobir, T. М. Kuznetsova
(Кузнецова 2021, с. 41, рис. 4) believes that the latter is a
direct replica of mirrors of a different type that came to the
forest-steppe from the Caucasus (Кузнецова 2021, с. 44).
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connection in a rather narrow chronological range
of two quarters of the 6th century BC. Thus, the
barrow no. 447 near Zhuravka village, in which
a mirror with a flat disc and an iron handle with
zoomorphic ends were found (Бобринской 1905,
рис. 27), is dated to the third quarter of the 6th cen-
tury BC (Гречко 2012, с. 80). The date of the bar-
row no. 449/1889 near Hladkivshchyna village
within the second quarter — mid-6th century BC
is determined by the presence of an Ionic cup (ky-
lix) in the complex (Гречко 2012, с. 82). Presum-
ably, the third quarter of the 6th century BC22 can
also be attributed to the bimetallic mirror from the
barrow no. 6/1899 near Basivka village. One of the
ends of the iron handle of the latter also has a cou-
pling connection with a decorative pommel, dec-
orated in the Scythian animal style. The connec-
tion point of the simple bronze disc with an iron
handle is covered on both sides by paired figured
overlays with a floral motif23. Their tight fit to the
handle was also ensured by a sleeve end and three
bronze rivets — techniques that were widely used
by local craftsmen in the second and third quar-
ters of the century24. The attention should be paid
to the fact that the connection of the iron handle
with the bronze disc using a bronze clip is also re-
corded on one of the mirrors from the tomb no. 2
of the “Repiahuvata Mohyla” barrow (Ильинская,
Мозолевский, Тереножкин 1980, с. 48, рис. 20:
3).
The use of the famous motif of the Kelermes
panther in the design of the Skorobir mirror is
not a coincidence, as it was found on other finds
from the Bilsk settlement (Shramko, Zadnikov,
Pankowski 2023, p. 86, fig. 3), which indicates
that it was understandable to the local population
and could have been well reproduced by Bilsk
craftsmen. Moreover, the similarity of some fea-
tures in the depiction of the panther on the Skoro-
bir mirror and the panther figures carved on anoth-
er bone object accidentally found on the territory
22 The Greek vessel from this barrow (Ханенко, Ханенко
1900, с. 8, табл. LIV: 840) was identified by S. A. Zadnikov
as an amphora produced in Lesbos in the third quarter of the
6th century BC.
23 A silver mirror with a similar design for the junction of the
side handle and the disc was found in the female burial of
550 BC in Gordion (Young 1951 p. 19, pl. IX, fig. 1).
24 In our opinion, iron handles in these cases are not the result
of replacing broken Greek-made mirrors that ended up in
the forest-steppe (Ольговський 2011, с. 176-177; 2014,
с. 225-227), but were part of the local craftsman’s single
design when making the mirror. Such an idea for the design
of the handle could have arisen under the influence of
various factors.
of the Western Fortification (Шрамко 1987, с. 88,
рис. 38: 10)25.
It is important for us that all of these mirrors
have a flat, rimless round disc, and the same idea
is applied to the fastening of iron handles: the use
of bronze clips. This may indicate the appearance
on the territory of the forest-steppe Scythia of an-
other, previously unknown method of connecting
individual parts already in the second quarter —
mid-6th century BC and its use in the third quarter
of the century.
All forest-steppe mirrors of the type under con-
sideration were most likely made in various local
workshops, which used fairly simple methods of
connecting individual parts with a lateral iron han-
dle, artistically decorated with additional elements,
including plant and zoomorphic motifs. Mirrors of
the first and second types have flat rimless discs and
similar metric characteristics (total length — 27.5–
29.7 cm, disc diameter — 13.2–14.7 cm, maximum
handle width — 3.4 cm). They also differ signifi-
cantly from the third type of mirror (disc diameter
— 18.7 cm, total length — 32.8 cm, handle width —
2.0 cm), the metric characteristics and appearance
of which indicate its belonging to the group of the
so-called “Olbian” (Кузнецова 2010, с. 239; 2021,
с. 36) or “Scythian” (Скуднова 1962; Полидович
2010 et al.), made entirely of bronze, and a lot more
complex in structure and manufacturing technique.
The first case of the discovery of such mirrors in
the burial grounds of the Bilsk hillfort was the mirror
from the barrow no. 1/2017 from the Skorobir ne-
cropolis. Among the others in the collection, it stands
out noticeably for its much larger size and massive-
ness, as well as for the rather complex way of con-
necting three separate parts (the disc, the handle, and
the panther figurine with the stand) without the help
of rivets, some of the features of which were estab-
lished for similar mirrors (Кузнецова 2002, с. 155,
рис. 15; Кузнецова, Оборин 2022, с. 178-180 et al.)
Mirrors similar to Skorobir mirrors are usual-
ly separated by researchers, paying attention to
the strong stylisation (degeneration) of the pan-
ther image and significant stylistic differences
from earlier figures, which are placed at the be-
ginning of the typological series (Скуднова 1962;
Скржинская 1984; Кузнецова 2002; Полидович
2010; Зуев 2019а; 2020). Mirrors with panthers of
a simplified, significantly stylised appearance be-
came widespread on the territory of Scythia main-
25 Materials from excavations at the Bilsk settlement and
its necropolis demonstrate the existence of objects of the
Kelermes type at least until the middle of the 6th century BC.
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ly in the last quarter — end of the 6th century BC
(Дворниченко, Плахов, Очир-Горяева 1997,
с. 130, рис. 3; Кузнецова 2002; 2010; Зуев 2019а,
с. 106), which is not contradicted by the date of our
burial complex proposed by us — the last quarter
of the 6th century BC. According to V. Yu. Zuev’s
observations the bronze mirror from the barrow
no. 1/2017 is similar in a number of features to
three mirrors found in Berezan (grave no. 309 on
the necropolis), in Olbia (burial no. 41/1912), and
also to one mirror from the barrow in the Dnipro
lower region, which may indicate that the details
for them were made by one master, in his opinion,
a Borysthenes master (Зуєв 2019а, с. 80, 81, 88).
The bronze mirror from the barrow no. 1/2017
can indeed be compared with mirrors originat-
ing from the Ancient Greek necropoleis of Olbia
and Berezan, which, in our opinion, is not surpris-
ing, since, firstly, it was with these Greek centres
of the Northern Black Sea Region that the popula-
tion of the Bilsk settlement maintained stable trade
relations: from the third quarter of the 7th century
BC they were established with Berezan, and start-
ing from the second half of the 6th century BC —
with Olbia (Задніков 2014, 2017). Secondly, in the
eastern part of the grave, where a mirror (north-east
corner), an amphora of the “Proto-Thasian” type
(south-east corner), a grey clay bowl of possibly Ol-
bian production and a lekane’s lid (near the eastern
wall) were left, which may indirectly indicate the
source of the artefact, which is rare for the Bilsk set-
tlement. In favour of such version, the overall size
of the mirror and its individual parts, which fully fit
into the parameters of bronze mirrors of this type26
found in closed complexes of Olbian polis, which
cannot be a coincidence, but only evidence that all
these mirrors were made by craftsmen who adhered
to certain standards, possessed a complex technique
for connecting separately cast parts into a single
product, and whose products became widely distrib-
uted among the barbarian population of different re-
gions of Europe. We do not exclude that specialised
bronze-casting workshops existed on the territory of
Olbian polis in the last third of the 6th century BC.
Since there is still no clear evidence that such mir-
rors (Копейкина 1980, 1981) were made in the Bo-
rysthenian workshop (Манычев et al. 2004, с. 37-
40; Назаров, Кузмищев 2005, с. 180; Крутилов
2005, с. 181-182), we can assume that the mirror of
Olbian production was left in the barrow no. 1/2017,
26 M. V. Skrzhynska drew attention to the constancy of the
metric characteristics of “Olbian” mirrors (Скржинская 1984,
с. 117).
brought to the site with other imported objects, al-
though, according to A. V. Buiskykh cannot exclude
that various artistic products of the Scythian ani-
mal style throughout the Late Archaic period could
also have been produced in another, Borysthenian
centre of Olbia (Буйских 2015, c. 111). S. Yu. Ol-
hovskyi (2016) suggests that such items were pro-
duced in Berezan and Olbia by barbarian craftsmen,
where they could have stayed temporarily (Оль-
говский 2016, с. 197). Although the famous image
was highly stylised, such mirrors remained popular
in Scythia until the end of the century.
Some features of the manufacture and possible
origin of the Skorobir mirrors are indicated by the
recipe of the bronze alloy and the elemental com-
position of the metal used for their casting.
Thus, the mirror from the barrow no. 2/2020
(table 1: 1) is made of high-tin bronze, to the
copper base of which a significant amount of tin
(23.8 %)27 was added with much smaller amount
of lead (0.97 %). The main micro-impurities in the
metal are tenths and hundredths of a percent (ta-
ble 1: 1). On the polished, shiny surface, where
the amount of tin reaches 33 %, a layer of tin coat-
ing of 11.6–12.2 microns thick has been preserved,
which suggests that the bronze base of the disc was
additionally tinned28, i.e. the mirror was made us-
ing a rather complex technology for its time, it is
certainly an imported item, presumably brought to
the settlement by a nomad and left in the first quar-
ter of the 6th century BC in a paired burial of a
warrior and a woman — representatives of the lo-
cal elite.
Mirror disc from the barrow no. 2/2019
(table 1: 2) cast from tin bronze. The average tin
content in the alloy is about 12.5 % with a small
amount of lead (0.29 %). All recorded micro-
impurities are mainly represented by tenths (Sb),
tenths — hundredths (Zn), and hundredths (As,
Ag, Ni, Co) fractions of a percent. In our opinion,
the mirror can be considered a product of local
craftsmen.
The mirror disc from the barrow no. 2/1965
(table 1: 3) is made of tin-lead bronze with an av-
erage tin content of 18.39 % and lead content of
27 Average value based on analysis results in different
locations of the product.
28 An example of the use of tin plating is the objects from
a burial ground from the late 9th — early 7th centuries BC
in Thessaly (Asderaki, Rehren, Malakasioti 2009, p. 383-
389). The technology of tin plating was also used quite ear-
ly in the Middle East. Tin plating allowed to imitate silver
and give the surfaces of objects the appropriate reflective
brightness (Yalçin, Gönül 2009, p. 129).
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 260
Site Sample Cu Sn Pb Zn Ag Sb As Fe Ni Co P
1.
B
ar
ro
w
N
o.
2
/2
02
0 001. Disk1 77,3 21,14 0,92 0,05 + 0,04 0,07 0,46
003. Disk1 73,71 24,76 1,28 0,06 + 0,07 0,04 0,01
006. Disk2 73,0 25,7 0,72 0,19 0,08 <0,18 0,23 <0,05 0,08 <0,03 <0,12
009. Disk3 63,507 33,34 1,029 0,289 0,107 0,273 <0,149 1,275
2.
B
ar
ro
w
N
o.
2
/2
01
9
011. Disk1 78,78 13,97 0,36 + 0,64 0,03 0,02 6,15
013. Disk2 86,95 11,03 0,22 0,05 <0,04 <0,17 0,048 0,43 <0,024 0,02 0,55
3.
B
ar
ro
w
N
o.
2
/1
96
5
014. Disk1 71,37 15,33 2,75 0,05 + 0,82 0,02 0,18
015. Disk3 71,655 23,347 3,815 0,246 0,136 0,071 0,412 <0,106 0,142
016. Disk2 78,9 16,5 2,08 0,26 0,07 <0,016 0,19 0,08 0,09 <0,03 0,49
017. Hoop1 80,32 14,89 0,34 0,03 + 3,81 0,03 0,33
019. Hoop2 81,06 15,78 0,22 0,07 <0,04 <0,16 2,68 <0,023 <0,05 0,037
020. Figurine1 73,71 25,13 0,66 0,06 - 0,17 0,04 0,01
021.Figurine2 73,21 13,90 0,20 0,04 0,03 0,13 0,036 0,09 0,020 0,008 5,40
4.
B
ar
ro
w
N
o.
1
/2
01
7
023.Disk1 64,43 9,66 25,47 - 0,04 0,03 0,35
024. Disk1 71,5 14,1 14,22 - 0,13 0,02
026.Disk2 52,20 9,4 38,09 0,18 0,04 <0,18 <0,15 <0,05 <0,03 0,01 <0,08
027. Disk2 80,69 9,68 9,42 0,18 <0,04 <0,16 <0,09 <0,05 <0,023 0,01 0,03
028. Handle1 50,55 9,32 39,83 - 0,12 0,01 0,12
031. Handle2 49,27 8,6 41,61 0,34 <0,05 <0,19 <0,15 <0,05 <0,025 <0,03 0,15
032. Handle2 82,6 8,44 8,18 0,19 0,07 <0,15 0,48 <0,05 <0,025 0,020 0,02
033. Panter1 69,48 8,07 22,19 0,07 0,04 0,12
035. Panter2 78,07 9,13 12,63 0,09 <0,04 <0,17 <0,10 0,02 <0,03 0,02 <0,08
1 Analysis carried out in the laboratory of the Institute of Applied Physics of the NAS of Ukraine, Sumy (O. M. Bugay).
2 Analysis carried out by T. Yu. Hoshko.
3 Analysis performed in the Elvatech laboratory, Kyiv (D. Ye. Tsvir).
Table 1. Results of the elemental composition of the metal of mirrors found in the burial mounds of
the Skorobir necropolis
2.8 %. The detected micro-impurities are repre-
sented by tenths (Zn, As, P), tenths — hundredths
(Fe), and hundredths (Ag, Ni, Co) of a percent.
The holder (stand) is made according to a dif-
ferent recipe — from tin bronze (tin content —
15.34 %, lead — 0.28 %). Among the micro-impu-
rities present in the metal, an increased content of
Fe is noticeable, possibly due to the fact that part
of the iron rod remained in the coupling. The max-
imum concentration of Zn, Ag, As, Ni and Co are
hundredths, and Sb is tenths of a percent.
The panther figure is also cast from tin bronze,
with an average content of Sn — 19.52 %, Pb —
0.43 %. The main trace impurities (Zn, Ag, As, Ni
and Co) are presented in hundredths of a percent,
Sb — in tenths. Therefore, the holder and the pan-
ther figure were presumably cast separately from
the same metal and connected by local craftsmen
into one product around the middle of the 6th cen-
tury BC, when various simple methods of connect-
ing individual elements had already been known.
Traces of metal filling are visible at the point of
connection of the predator figure with the bronze
holder (stand) (fig. 5: 3). The technique of manu-
facturing the object, the selection of alloy formu-
lations and the features of the transmitted image of
the panther indicate the possibility of manufactur-
ing the mirror by local craftsmen.
A mirror from the barrow no. 1/2017 was
made according to a different recipe. The main
micro-impurities in the metal of different parts
of the object indicate that the craftsmen used the
same raw materials and mainly lead-tin bronze, as
shown by the results of analyses carried out by dif-
ferent specialists from several research laborato-
ries (table 1: 4).
For casting the mirror disc, a copper-lead-tin
alloy was selected, the tin content of which was
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on average 10.7 % with significantly higher aver-
age lead content, at 21.8 %. At the same time, in
certain areas of the disc, different researchers have
equally established various in the quantitative in-
dicators of tin and lead in the metal. In some are-
as, the amount of tin and lead is almost the same
— 9.68 % and 9.42 % or 14.1 % and 14.22 %, re-
spectively, in others — the amount of lead is three
to four times higher than the tin content (9.66 %
and 25.47 %, or 9.4 % and 38.09 %, respective-
ly) 29. This difference is especially noticeable in the
analyses of the fluted handle, in which the amount
of lead reaches 41.61 % (on average 40.72 %) with
a much smaller amount of tin (8.52 %). The half-
lock at the point of connection of the disc with the
handle is cast from a tin-lead alloy with a tin con-
tent of 8.44%, lead – 8.18 %. The figure of the pan-
ther together with the stand — from a lead-tin al-
loy with an average tin content of 8.6 %, lead —
17.41 %. Such a composition has not previously
been recorded for mirrors of the Scythian period.
The composition of the mirror metal from the
barrow no. 1/2017 is significantly different from
the recipe used to make a similar panther figurine
from the handle of a mirror found in the filling of
a dugout in Berezan (Манычев et al. 2004, с. 40),
which may indicate different places of their pro-
duction.
Interestingly, the metal composition of an-
other “Olbian” mirror, decorated with a stylised
ram’s head at the end of the handle, accidental-
ly found on the territory of the Bilsk settlement30,
also showed a significant excess of lead (9.12 %)31
over tin (2.12 %) in its alloy, which cannot be a
coincidence. Mirrors with a ram on the end of the
handle from the forest-steppe barrow no. 18 near
Machukhу village and the barrow no. 38 in Huli-
ai-Horod turned out to be cast according to a dif-
ferent recipe, from tin-lead bronze (Барцева 1981,
с. 67). That is, mirrors similar in design could have
been made in different workshops.
It is not yet possible to establish the place of
manufacture of the Skorobir mirror, but the com-
plexity of the technique of joining individual parts
29 In this case, we can certainly observe zonal liquation of the
metal, caused by the uneven distribution of its chemical
composition during solidification, since when a significant
amount of lead is added, copper-based alloys can form
zones of uneven composition at the time of solidification
(Мошкова, Рындина 1975, с. 128). First of all, this applies
to more massive products, which include cast mirrors.
30 The item is stored in the Repository of the Historical and
Cultural Reserve “Bilsk”, inv. no. A433/4.
31 XRF analysis was performed by D. Ye. Tsvir.
of the object, similar to other mirrors of this vari-
ant (Кузнецова, Оборин 2022), does not allow us
to link it with the Bilsk craft centre. With a certain
degree of probability, it can be assumed that the ar-
tefact could have been made in Olbia, where, un-
like Berezan, both variants of mirrors (a panther, a
ram on a handle) are known and, probably, at the
end of the 6th — beginning of the 5th centuries BC,
bronze alloys with a significant amount of lead had
already been used (Ольговский 1986, с. 96-97,
102-103). Therefore, we consider the mirror from
the barrow no. 1/2017 of the Skorobir necropolis
to be an imported object, brought in the last quarter
of the 6th century BC to the settlement during sta-
ble trade relations between Bilsk and Olbia, which
at that time remained the main centre of supply of
antique products to the settlement. We assume that
in the future, the number of mirrors cast according
to the recipe we established will increase, which
will help to finally determine the place of their
possible production.
Conclusions
Thus, all bronze mirrors discovered in the
6th century BC burial mounds of the Skorobir ne-
cropolis have side handles, but belong to different
types; have differences in the alloy composition,
the technique of joining individual parts, and may
be associated with different production centres.
They were usually left in the burials of women
who had a high social status during their lifetime.
The mirror from the barrow no. 2/2020 is an
imported item according to the manufacturing
technology, associated with the advancement of
nomads from the Northern Caucasus to the Dni-
pro left-bank forest-steppe region at the beginning
of the 6th century BC. The mirror from the barrow
no. 2/2019 of the second quarter of the 6th century
BC is simpler in manufacturing and could have al-
ready been made by Bilsk craftsmen. Presumably
around the middle of the 6th century BC, a bimetal-
lic mirror from the barrow no. 2/1965 was made,
the design of which implemented the idea of deco-
rating the handle with animal images of the Scyth-
ian art, which was formed under the Kelermes ho-
rizon of antiquities, presumably in the Northern
Caucasus region. Taking into account the signifi-
cant production potential of the Bilsk hillfort, the
composition of the metal, and the technical fea-
tures of joining individual parts into a single prod-
uct, the mirror could have been made by a local
craftsman. Therefore, the bimetallic handles were
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part of the local craftsman’s design under the influ-
ence of new ideas, and not the result of repair and
replacement of lost elements.
The solid bronze mirror from the barrow
no. 1/2017 of the last quarter — end of the 6th centu-
ry BC belongs to the “Olbian” type of mirrors. The
complexity of the alloy composition, the manufac-
turing technique and the connection of its individual
parts give grounds to consider the object imported,
made in Olbia and brought to the Bilsk hillfort as
part of stable trade relations. Perhaps the name “Ol-
bian” is appropriate for mirrors of this simplified
version of the last third — end of the 6th century BC.
Acknowledgements
The work was carried out under the scientific
project on Documentation, Recording and Preser-
vation of Ukrainian Archaeological Heritage: “Mu-
seum Collections from the Necropoleis of the Bilsk
Hillfort — One of the Largest Fortified Settlements
of the Beginning of the Early Iron Age in Eastern
Europe: Preservation and Research in Conditions of
War” with the support of the scholarship research
program of the German Archaeological Institute
(DAI): (01.09–01.12.2024).
Received 03.03.2025
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Шрамко Ірина Борисівна
Кандидат історичних наук, доцент кафедри історіографії, джерелознавства та археології, директор Музею археоло-
гії Харківського національного університету імені В. Н. Каразіна, ORCID: 0000-0003-1009-9262, i.b.shramko@karazin.ua
БРОНЗОВІ ДЗЕРКАЛА З ПОХОВАНЬ КУРГАННОГО НЕКРОПОЛЯ СКОРОБІР
Бронзові дзеркала залишаються однією з показових категорій знахідок, що свідчать про міжкультурні контакти, впливи
та зв’язки. У похованнях одного з найбільших курганних некрополів Більського городища — Скоробору за довгі роки
досліджень знайдено чотири дзеркала, що віднесені авторами до трьох різних типів і хронологічних періодів у межах
одного століття. Усі дзеркала були виявлені в похованнях жінок VI ст. до н.е., які за життя мали високий соціальний
статус та могли виконувати жрецькі функції.
Три біметалевих дзеркала мають пласкі круглі диски, з’єднані із залізною ручкою заклепками. Найбільш раннім є
дзеркало типу 1 з поховання кочовика першої чверті VI ст. до н.е., знайдене в кургані № 2/2020. Археологічний контекст
знахідки, рецептура сплаву та складна технологія, застосовані при виготовленні дзеркала, вказують на його імпортний
характер. Ще одне дзеркало того самого типу походить із непограбованого жіночого поховання другої чверті VI ст. до
н.е. (курган 2/2019).
Окремий тип 2 утворює дзеркало з кургану № 2/1965 другої чверті — середини VI ст. до н.е. Воно може бути прикладом
впровадження традиції оздоблення ручок дзеркал зооморфними образами в стилі ранньоскіфського мистецтва. Диск дзеркала,
фігура пантери келермеського типу та обойма виготовлені окремо, з різних бронзових сплавів та з’єднані із залізною ручкою
в єдиний виріб за допомогою заклепок і бронзової обойми. З урахуванням розвиненого бронзоливарного та ковальського
виробництв на Більському городищі, дзеркала з курганів №№ 2/2019 та 2/1965 могли бути виготовлені у місцевих майстернях.
Суцільно-бронзове дзеркало (тип 3) з кургану № 1/2017 останньої чверті — кінця VI ст. до н.е. належить до
іншого, так званого “ольвійського” типу, бокову ручку якого прикрашає стилізована фігура пантери на гладкій
підставці. Складність техніки з’єднання окремих частин предмета, подібної до інших дзеркал такого варіанта, не
дозволяють відносити його до продукції місцевих майстрів. Мідно-свинцево-олов’яний сплав із значним вмістом
свинцю, з якого відлито дзеркало з кургану, а також інше “ольвійське” дзеркало зі стилізованою головою барана
на кінці ручки, знайденої на Більському городищі непрямо вказують на можливість їх виготовлення в майстернях
Ольвійського поліса, скоріше за все, в межах Ольвійського городища, оскільки саме тут, імовірно, наприкінці VI — на
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2025, № 2 65
початку V ст. до н.е. майстри використовували значні домішки свинцю як лігатуру, а в ольвійському некрополі відомі
дзеркала обох варіантів (з пантерою та бараном), подібних до знайдених у Більську. Дзеркало з кургану № 1/2017
могло бути привезене на городище в межах сталих торговельних відносин між Ольвією та Більськом.
Робота виконана в рамках наукового проєкту «Документування, фіксація та збереження української археологічної
спадщини»: “Музейні колекції з некрополів Більського городища — одного з найбільших укріплених поселень початку
раннього залізного віку в Східній Європі: збереження, дослідження та публікація в умовах війни” за підтримки
стипендіальної дослідницької програми Німецького археологічного інституту (DAI): (01.09–01.12.2024).
К л ю ч о в і с л о в а: бронзові дзеркала, VI ст. до н.е., Дніпровське лісостепове Лівобережжя, Більське городище, не-
крополь Скоробір.
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| spelling | arheologia-com-ua-article-4142025-07-04T20:04:16Z Bronze Mirrors from the Burials of the Skorobir Necropolis Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір Shramko, I. B. Dnipro forest-steppe Left-bank region, Bilsk settlement, Skorobir necropolis, bronze mirrors, 6th century BC бронзові дзеркала, VI ст. до н.е., Дніпровське лісостепове Лівобережжя, Більське городище, некрополь Скоробір. The article introduces into scientific circulation a complete collection of bronze mirrors discovered at the Skorobir necropolis for the first time. The objects originate from the closed complexes of the 6th&nbsp;century BC allowing to trace the archaeological context of the finds and the features of the manufacture of mirrors of different time periods within the same century, as well as making assumptions about their origin and place of manufacture. Бронзові дзеркала залишаються однією з показових категорій знахідок, що свідчать про міжкультурні контакти, впливи та зв’язки. У похованнях одного з найбільших курганних некрополів Більського городища — Скоробору за довгі роки досліджень знайдено чотири дзеркала, що віднесені авторами до трьох різних типів і хронологічних періодів у межах одного століття. Усі дзеркала були виявлені в похованнях жінок VI&nbsp;ст. до н.е., які за життя мали високий соціальний статус та могли виконувати жрецькі функції. Три біметалевих дзеркала мають пласкі круглі диски, з’єднані із залізною ручкою заклепками. Найбільш раннім є дзеркало типу&nbsp;1 з поховання кочовика першої чверті VI&nbsp;ст. до н.е., знайдене в кургані №&nbsp;2/2020. Археологічний контекст знахідки, рецептура сплаву та складна технологія, застосовані при виготовленні дзеркала, вказують на його імпортний характер. Ще одне дзеркало того самого типу походить із непограбованого жіночого поховання другої чверті VI&nbsp;ст. до н.е. (курган 2/2019). Окремий тип&nbsp;2 утворює дзеркало з кургану №&nbsp;2/1965 другої чверті — середини VI&nbsp;ст. до н.е. Воно може бути прикладом впровадження традиції оздоблення ручок дзеркал зооморфними образами в стилі ранньоскіфського мистецтва. Диск дзеркала, фігура пантери келермеського типу та обойма виготовлені окремо, з різних бронзових сплавів та з’єднані із залізною ручкою в єдиний виріб за допомогою заклепок і бронзової обойми. З урахуванням розвиненого бронзоливарного та ковальського виробництв на Більському городищі, дзеркала з курганів №№&nbsp;2/2019 та 2/1965 могли бути виготовлені у місцевих майстернях.Суцільно-бронзове дзеркало (тип&nbsp;3) з кургану №&nbsp;1/2017 останньої чверті — кінця VI&nbsp;ст. до н.е. належить до іншого, так званого “ольвійського” типу, бокову ручку якого прикрашає стилізована фігура пантери на гладкій підставці. Складність техніки з’єднання окремих частин предмета, подібної до інших дзеркал такого варіанта, не дозволяють відносити його до продукції місцевих майстрів. Мідно-свинцево-олов’яний сплав із значним вмістом свинцю, з якого відлито дзеркало з кургану, а також інше “ольвійське” дзеркало зі стилізованою головою барана на кінці ручки, знайденої на Більському городищі непрямо вказують на можливість їх виготовлення в майстернях Ольвійського поліса, скоріше за все, в межах Ольвійського городища, оскільки саме тут, імовірно, наприкінці VI — на початку V&nbsp;ст. до н.е. майстри використовували значні домішки свинцю як лігатуру, а в ольвійському некрополі відомі дзеркала обох варіантів (з пантерою та бараном), подібних до знайдених у Більську. Дзеркало з кургану №&nbsp;1/2017 могло бути привезене на городище в межах сталих торговельних відносин між Ольвією та Більськом. Робота виконана в рамках наукового проєкту «Документування, фіксація та збереження української археологічної спадщини»: “Музейні колекції з некрополів Більського городища — одного з найбільших укріплених поселень початку раннього залізного віку в Східній Європі: збереження, дослідження та публікація в умовах війни” за підтримки стипендіальної дослідницької програми Німецького археологічного інституту (DAI): (01.09–01.12.2024). Institute of Archaeology NAS of Ukraine 2025-06-26 Article Article application/pdf https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/414 10.15407/archaeologyua2025.02.046 Arheologia; No 2 (2025): Arheologia; 46-67 Археологія ; № 2 (2025): Археологія; 46-67 Археология; № 2 (2025): Arheologia; 46-67 2616-499X 0235-3490 en https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/414/424 Copyright (c) 2025 Arheologia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.en |
| spellingShingle | бронзові дзеркала VI ст. до н.е. Дніпровське лісостепове Лівобережжя Більське городище некрополь Скоробір. Shramko, I. B. Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title | Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title_alt | Bronze Mirrors from the Burials of the Skorobir Necropolis |
| title_full | Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title_fullStr | Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title_full_unstemmed | Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title_short | Бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя Скоробір |
| title_sort | бронзові дзеркала з поховань курганного некрополя скоробір |
| topic | бронзові дзеркала VI ст. до н.е. Дніпровське лісостепове Лівобережжя Більське городище некрополь Скоробір. |
| topic_facet | Dnipro forest-steppe Left-bank region Bilsk settlement Skorobir necropolis bronze mirrors 6th century BC бронзові дзеркала VI ст. до н.е. Дніпровське лісостепове Лівобережжя Більське городище некрополь Скоробір. |
| url | https://arheologia.com.ua/index.php/arheologia/article/view/414 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shramkoib bronzemirrorsfromtheburialsoftheskorobirnecropolis AT shramkoib bronzovídzerkalazpohovanʹkurgannogonekropolâskorobír |