Analysis of the Motifs of the Scythian Combined Beats in the Golden Treasures of the Russian Hermitage Museum

The Scythians were a nomadic and warrior tribe who settled in the western and eastern parts of the Caspian Sea in the early centuries of the first millennium B.C. They spoke the language of the Iranians of that period and became known as the Persian Scythians in ancient sources and texts. The culture and art of these people have been mainly in the field of metalwork, especially the making of golden works. The type of decorations, construction technique, and form of these works have special characteristics compared to other civilizations of the contemporary era. One of these features is the use of combined animal motifs that have influenced the art of different societies. The Hermitage Museum of Russia has an impressive collection of golden works from the Scythians and lacks specialized studies to identify the patterns and visual quality of the works. This collection shows a variety of high-quality gold works with different functionalities, decorated with motifs of combined animals. What were the visual features of these works? And with what quality are the designs of mixed animals designed and executed? The study population of this study is 22 golden works related to the Scythians. The results show the use of form, precise techniques, and various approaches in the design and execution of motifs of combined animals, making these works of exceptional visual value. Combined animals account for 31% of the total animal motifs, including animal-animal, animal-human, and human-animal motifs. Knowing the works of these people - as Iranian people and especially the influence of their combined animal motifs in important works of Iranian art can help us find and discover many mysteries of the works of the past. This research has been done in a historical-analytical method using library-documentary sources.