Open AccessDecorative application with lion’s image from the excavations near village Mizhgirya (Volyn region)
Author(s) -
Oleksandr Silaiev
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
materìali ì doslìdžennâ z arheologìï prikarpattâ ì volinì
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2223-1218
DOI - 10.33402/mdapv.2020-24-387-395
Subject(s) - ornaments , archaeology , excavation , sword , parallels , interpretation (philosophy) , art , history , style (visual arts) , visual arts , ancient history , engineering , linguistics , mechanical engineering , philosophy
The article is explaining a unique bronze application, which was discovered during the excavation season 2017 on Mizhgirya-3 site – two-layered settlement of Early Iron Age and Age of Principalities. This item was uncovered amid the upper earth sediments, largely destroyed by plowing, thus making it impossible to determine the exact chronological interpretation.Based on the analysis of creative stylistics and technological features of this piece of craftsmanship, an excessive pursuit was commenced for the parallels in the imageries and designs of decorative ornaments, particularly inherent to Ancient Rus culture. It includes various examples of zoomorphic motifs, lion’s pictures as well, in the church architectural décor and on similar samples of ornamented jewelry. The closest stylistic equivalence to the application’s image from Mizhgirya-3 site was found among decorative ceramic tiles collected during the excavations of ancient Halych hill-fort, some of them holding the image of a lion or a lioness. Particular attention was turned towards the searches of analogies among jewelry, applying specific techniques of openwork metal casting, like some items from the excavations of the Ancient Rus’ major cities of Halych and Novgorod, found inside cultural sediments from the 12th – to the 15th centuries.Comparative analysis of various objects, either depicting similar visual motifs or applying the distinctive metal casting technique, made it possible to verify the application’s origin at the later stages Age of Principalities cultural evolution, especially the one determined by the advance of Galicia and Volhynia state. Henceforth, the discovery of the items became more relevant with the upper chronological layer of Mizhgirya-3 site, which was dated by the 12th – 13th centuries after the evaluation of supplemented materials.Key words: bronze decorative application, openwork metal casting, Age of Principalities, zoomorphic motif, «lion passant».