The ancient
Scythians were a semi-nomadic
Iranian people that lived around the northern area of the
Black Sea with territory that stretched up into the
Ural and
Altai Mountain region. Their culture is thought to have lasted almost 1000 years, during which time they traded regularly with many
Mediterranean and
Asian cultures including the ancient
Greeks, the ancient
Persians and the ancient
Chinese. The top section, which is widely agreed to be the main focus of the piece, reflects Scythian daily life. The third section is thought to represent Scythian belief in the
cosmos and their mythology. It is believed that the pectoral was created by soldering together dozens of individually cast figures and elements. File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 1).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 1) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 2).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 2) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 3).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 3) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 4).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 4) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 5).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 5) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 6).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 6) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 7).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 7) File:Scythian gold pectoral Tovsta Mohyla (detail 8).jpg|Scythian Pectoral (detail 8) ==Notes==