BIMETALLIC PICK-AXE FROM THE DNIPRO FOREST-STEPPE LEFT BANK: CAUSE FOR CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SIMILAR ARMAMENT OF EARLY SCYTHIAN EPOCH IN EURASIA
Authors: Skoryi S. A. , Zymovets R. V. 
Published: November 2023

The paper is devoted to a newfound artefact of the Scythian archaic epoch — a bimetallic pick-axe, discovered in the Vorskla River basin, near the city of Akhtyrka of Sumy region of Ukraine. Pick-axes are a kind of close-in fighting weapon, along with picks and axes, quite rare for the Scythian Age. The specimen under study belongs to a relatively small group of bimetallic pick-axes, consisting of an iron (or steel) warhead and a bronze socket. Like most bimetallic pick-axes, the specimen from Akhtyrka has a bird’s head with slotted eyes and a curved beak (part of the beak is lost) under the striker, cast together with the socket.

The bimetallic pick-axes from Akhtyrka is, at the moment, the most western reliable find of this type of weapon. The paper includes a catalog of bimetallic pick-axes of the early Scythian Age from Eurasia, numbering 24 items: 2 — Western Siberia, 4 — Southern Urals, 3 — Volga-Kama region, 3 — Western Asia (3; most likely 2 pick-axes kept in the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum are from the same region), Aral Sea (1), Colchis, Western Georgia (3), North Caucasus (2), Kuban (1), Taman (1), Northern Azov region, Eastern Ukraine (1), Vorskla basin, Eastern Ukraine (1). Most of the bimetallic pick-axes (18 items) have a sculptural image of a bird’s head between the striker and the socket.

The main chronological indicators of the time of existence of the bimetallic pick-axes are 4 assemblages: mound 84 of the Uygarak burial ground (first half of the 7th century BC); mound 5 of the Kichigino-I burial ground (second half — late 7th century BC); grave G of the Ananyino ground burial; grave near the village of Imirler (both — second half of the 7th — early 6th century BC). In the light of the discussion that has been going on for more than 20 years about the dating of the early Scythian culture, it seems important that none of these complexes dates back to the 8th century BC. Accordingly, the time of existence of bimetallic pick-axes must be attributed to the 7th — first half of the 6th century BC.

The chronological priority of the Uygarak pick-axe in relation to the Asia Minor pick-axes allows us to conclude that the latter are markers of the advance of the Saka military contingent to the Middle East, as part of the famous Asia Minor campaigns of the Scythians. Accordingly, the finds of pick-axes in the Caucasus, the Kuban region and Eastern Ukraine should be considered as markers of the movement of some part of the Scythian military contingent to Europe during or immediately after the Asiatic campaigns. The concentration of pick-axes in the area of the Ananyino culture is explained by the migration of part of the Scythian or Saka military contingent, recorded by Herodotus.

The dating of the main chronological indicators makes it possible to draw a correlation with bronze pick-axes, which have become widespread in the eastern regions of Eurasia. The variety of forms of bronze pick-axes from Southern Siberia, Altai and Tuva, as well as their chronological priority, allow us to conclude that bimetallic pick-axes are derived from bronze ones. Apparently, in the first half of the 7th century BC a technological innovation takes place, as a result of which the bronze blade are replaced with an iron / steel plate inserted into a bronze socket. The currently available archaeological sources make it possible to connect this innovation with the Aral Sea region and the historical Sakas but it is still premature to draw final conclusions.