VORONEZH OBLAST, RUSSIA—According to a statement released by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an unusual silver plate bearing a mix of Greek images and images from Asia Minor has been recovered from the Devitsa V burial ground, which is located in central Russia along the Devitsa River. Measuring about 13 inches long and three inches wide, the object was found nailed to a wooden base with silver nails. The images on it include Argimpasa, the Scythian goddess of plants and animals, as well as eagle-headed griffins and other creatures. Archaeologist Valeriy Gulyaev said the plate, which dates to the fourth century B.C., is the first artifact depicting multiple Scythian gods to be recovered far from the known Scythian centers. It was found in the northeast corner of a tomb that, although looted in antiquity, still held traces of a man who had been buried with pottery, weapons, food, and pieces of a horse harness decorated with bronze, wolf-shaped plates. To read about a burial of Scythian women warriors unearthed in western Russia, go to "Arms and the Women."
