The British Museum is one of my favourite places in the world. I visit the museum every couple of months and always find something new or interesting that I have missed previously due to the sheer number of objects on show (about 80,000, which is about 1% of its catalogue of 8 million)
The museum runs some pretty amazing exhibitions but occasionally something extra special comes along, something that blows your mind and the current Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, is one such exhibition.
The British Museum is a stunning building which houses the spoils of Britain's colonial past and its interest in antiquities.
For those not in the know the Scythians were fierce tattooed horse riding nomadic tribes, who at their peak controlled territory that stretched from the Black Sea to the north border of China. They didn't leave behind any writing behind but various historians from the time, including Herodotus, left detailed descriptions about them. Much of the primary evidence has been gathered from preserved burial mounds which were often left untouched in the Siberian permafrost for centuries.
Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, organised expeditions in the 18th century that retrieved many objects, and also handsomely rewarded the Russian people who brought forth items they may have found.
I have to be honest and admit that I went in knowing next to nothing about the Scythians. The only experience I had had with them was through the lens of the video game Superbrothers: Swords and Sworcery, a stunning surreal action adventure game in which you play as a young female Scythian hoping to end the evil she unwittingly brought onto the world by acquiring an ancient yet forbidden tome. So far so video game trope-y but it must have had an influence on me as when I heard this exhibition was on I knew I had to go!
Swords and Sworcery had a beautiful art style and it was the inpiration for the background of this very website.
In the Sainsbury's wing of the museum the Scythian exhibition is on show until mid-January 2018. It is a large dimly lit place with ominous soundscape music playing.
The first section of the exhibition contains the famous gold plaque of the mounted Scythian which has graced the promotional covers and posters. The detail of the piece are stunning and considering that it is over 2000 years old, all the more amazing.
As you enter the main hall the remainder of the stunningly worked golden belt buckles are here. The level of detail and their impressive state of preservation show a people who were skilled artisans in the most challenging of environments.
Moving onto the next section, we get a further insight into everyday life. There are markings and artwork etched onto stone, many showing animals such as horses and camels.
There is the head of a Scythian in extraordinary condition on show with his accoutrements. It is all a bit macabre but fascinating nonetheless, like the fact that they liked to dress up warmly with squirrel and stable lined clothes. The men wore large pointed hats which gave them a very distinctive look, it belies the fact that the repertoire of weapons they carried was fearsome including aerodynamic poison dipped arrows, short swords and battle axes which looked more like picks.
The Scythians also may have used fake beards for ceremonial reasons and one is in a good state of repair here. It's all a bit puzzling as accounts from the time say they liked to have long hair and beards and only shaved for death rites but this piece shows that there must have been a need for it somewhere in their life.
There are also signs that they liked to get high and drunk with accounts of the time saying they were fearsome drinkers of Greek wine. They also liked to get high by throwing hemp seeds into a fire in sweat lodges to bond. I have to say that they sound positively delightful and it makes a change from the typical polite dinner parties I occasionally go to now.
The highlight here though is the saddlebag which contains 2 small lumps of cheese which are 2500 years old! That's mind blowing for someone who only likes Cheddar, Baby Bell, Dairylee Triangles or Cheese Strings when he's feeling a little adventurous.
The rest of the exhibition shows the influence of other people who they either traded or fought with the Scythians, and with this interaction came an intermingling of ideas and beliefs. There is a cauldron with a distinctively Chinese styling and as the Scythians did get as far east as China this seems perfectly likely.
Over time the Scythians were overtaken by other groups and their life and their history was forgotten for a time. However through Peter the Great's endeavours and various expeditions into the inhospitable Siberian landscape we are lucky enough to have some their finest works at the British Museum.
The exhibition is only until January and is one loan from the Hermitage in Russia, so this may be the only chance to see it. If you have even a vague interest make sure you do pay a visit.