Новый ритуальный клад с эллинистическим шлемом в Левобережном Нижнем Подонье
A New Votive Hoard Featuring a Hellenistic Helmet from the Left Bank of the Lower Don

Summary/Abstract: This article examines a 2nd—1st century BC ritual hoard discovered in 2025 on a floodplain terrace along the left bank of the Don River, 3.5 km from the village of Pustoshkin. Now housed in the Azov Museum, the assemblage includes a bronze situla and helmet, as along with fragments of a bit, a two-hole horn cheekpiece, and fragments of a spearhead. Both the helmet and situla were ritually decommissioned in antiquity, bearing severe dents and punctures inflicted by the triangular blade of a single-edged weapon. The Pustoshkin helmet belongs to a series of four identical konos helmets found across the North-Eastern Black Sea region; however, this new find is uniquely distinguished by a stamped monogram. In the Hellenistic world, stamps on weaponry remain exceedingly rare. Electron microprobe analysis was used to study the elemental composition of the helmet and the situla, the latter of which likely originated as Roman military equipment. Ultimately, this ritual site provides tangible evidence of Sarmatian involvement in the Mithridatic Wars, aligning closely with contemporary written sources.

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