#pazyryk

This headdress was crafted from leather and gold foil, and it dates back to 350-300 BCE. It was discovered in the frozen barrows of Pazyryk, Siberia, where unique conditions allowed the organic material to remain almost perfectly preserved for more than two millennia.

According to this publication:

The headdress is sewn from felt and leather, and topped with a ram’s head with a cock-like bird standing between its horns. The bird is detachable, its legs are made of whittled sticks, and its wings were made separately on a rod frame. The peak of the mask is decorated with seven fish made of gold foil.

Many other horse masks and headdresses have been found at Pazyryk:

Some were peaked and open at the front, while others were closed and entirely covered the horse’s face. All had side flaps tied under the chin with small straps, and ear cases that allowed the mask to sit more securely on the head. They had felt bases covered in leather and were horned.

Together with their mane covers and tail cases, these masks appeared to transform the horses into fantastic mythical creatures resembling the horned griffins depicted on Pazyryk chieftains’ tattoos and plaques from Peter the Great’s Siberian Collection.

Above: another horse headdress from Pazyryk, c.450 BCE

All of these headdresses were made by ancient Altaic nomads, who formed part of the larger group of cultures that are collectively referred to as the Scythians or Scytho-Siberian peoples.

Above: horse mask/headdress with antlers, harness, and bridle, from Pazyryk, c.350 BCE

Each costume was found on or near a horse's body, but researchers believe that the costumes were created and used for ceremonial purposes throughout the horse's life, as this article explains:

It is clear the costumes were not made specifically for the burial: all horse costumes, even the most elaborate, were well-worn and in some places mended, indicating regular use. Because these costumes are impractical for everyday use, they probably were reserved for ceremonial use – and due to their being well-worn, such use was common. As with contemporary Mongolian pastoralists, perhaps these costumes were reserved for the Pazyryk’s seasonal changes of camp, or perhaps for other alternate or additional ceremonies significant to the community.

Above: a full ceremonial costume from Pazyryk, c.400-300 BCE

Several other artifacts from Pazyryk have previously been featured on my blog, including an elaborate horse headdress equipped with antlers, an ancient saddle blanket, and a 2,300-year-old plush bird.

Sources & More Info:

Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia: Horse Headgear

World Archaeology: Do the Clothes Make the Horse? Roles, Statuses, and Identities in the Pazyryk World

Hermitage Museum: Horse Headdresses 2, 3, and 4

University of Washington: Artifacts from Southern Siberia/Pazyryk

Perspectives and Studies in Ethnozooarchaeology: Killing (Constructed) Horses: Interspecies Elders, Empathy, Emotion, and the Pazyryk Horse Sacrifices

University of Leicester: At Home, with the Good Horses (PDF) (this is a really great paper)

This elaborate saddle blanket dates back to about 400-300 BCE. It was discovered in the Pazyryk barrows, located in the Altai mountains of Siberia, where it had been preserved in the permafrost for more than 2,000 years. It's made of felt, leather, horsehair, and gold foil.

Above: the appliqués at the center of the saddle blanket

The central design features two identical appliqués, each depicting an ibex being pinned down by a griffin.

Above: close-up of the appliqués

The sides of the saddle cover are also decorated with circular pendants made of felt; each of these pendants is trimmed with leather, encircled by tufts of horsehair, and embroidered with a stylized depiction of a ram's-head. A pair of horned tigers can also be seen at the base of each pendant.

Above: the pendants that hang from each side of the saddle cover

This artifact is attributed to the Altaic nomads of Siberia, who formed part of the larger group of cultures that are collectively known as the Scythians (or Scytho-Siberian peoples).

According to the Hermitage Museum:

Saddles used by the ancient Altaic nomads differ from those used today. They had no wooden base and consisted of two leather cushions filled with reindeer and horse hair and sewn together on one side. Felt saddle covers were traditionally decorated with scenes showing a beast of prey tearing to pieces a herbivorous animal. 

The Scythians were among the first cultures to begin using horses as mounts, and they invented one of the earliest forms of saddle. They were extremely skilled and accomplished riders, and their early mastery of mounted warfare enabled them to gain control over vast sections of Eurasia. That dynamic led to the development of a very noticeable "horse culture," with horses playing a critical role in many different aspects of Scythian life (and afterlife):

The horse was an essential part of Scythian life and was the most important and multipurpose animal used by the nomads. Initially, the Scythians reared large herds of horses mainly for their milk and hides, but eventually were among the first people to harness the horse as a mount.

By the 7th century BCE, the Scythians were already master horsemen and controlled a vast corridor of land that stretched across southern Siberia, from the Black Sea to the fringes of northern China. This expanse of land was greater than the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which the Scythians outlasted.

The Scythians produced many horse-related artifacts that have been discovered at sites throughout Eurasia, but this saddle cover is one of the most elaborate and most well-preserved examples of that tradition.

Above: the saddle cover from Pazyryk

Two other artifacts from Pazyryk have previously been featured on my blog -- a 2,300-year-old plush bird and an elaborate horse headdress.

Sources & More Info:

Hermitage Museum: Saddle Cover

World Archaeology: Do the Clothes Make the Horse? Roles, Statuses, and Identities in the Pazyryk World

University of Washington: Artifacts from Southern Siberia/Pazyryk

Expedition: The Textiles from Pazyryk (PDF)

Cambridge University Press: The Origins of Saddles and Riding Technology in East Asia

Routledge: Pazyryk Culture Up in the Altai

She was a 50 y.o. Siberian woman from 2500 years ago, living a nomadic lifestyle, and look at her tattoos...

Look...