Пара позднеэллинистических фаларов из Степного Приишимья (Северный Казахстан)
A Pair of Late Hellenistic phalerae from the Steppes of Ishim basin (Northern Kazakhstan)

Summary/Abstract: The phalerae, which are discussed in the present paper, were presumably found individually on the left bank of the Ishim River in the 1980s and 1990s and were acquired by two different museums. They were published separately. That the two phalerae form a pair is evidenced by their similar size and weight, as well as the similarity of their decoration, differing only in that the reclining feline predator depicted on the phalerae is depicted to the right in the first case, and to the left in the second. The images were not mechanically mirrored, but differ in detail, a feature typical of late Hellenistic shoulder phalerae. The analysis conducted in the article revealed that the garland on the phalerae differs from garlands on items of toreutics that can be attributed to Parthian origin. The latter can hardly even be considered models for the artisan who made the phalerae. The framing motif lacks any specific elements that would suggest a connection with Greco-Bactrian art. There is more reason to believe that the framing decoration may have been inspired by a garland design common in Asia Minor. The central image on the phalerae further demonstrates the lack of Greco-Bactrian connections. This animal motif can be considered to have a Central Asian origin, having been used by at least some of the artisans who created pieces in the polychrome animal style of the Siberian Collection. There is also reason to believe that this motif was used by phalerae makers attributed to Parthian origin. The compositional treatment of the feline predator on phalerae from the Ishim steppe region is more consistent with the canons of Central Asian animal style. Overall, it seems likely that the phalerae from the steppe of the Ishim basin were the work of a peripheral Parthian workshop, adjusted to the tastes of a nomadic client. This, and not Bactrian, origin of the phalerae is also supported by the analysis of an identical Aramaic inscription, probably applied during the process of their manufacture.

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