The Scythians and Sarmatians wrote nothing of themselves. What survives is material — gold plaques from burial mounds, iron blades, horse harness — and it is scattered. Objects excavated from a single site now sit in different museums, in different countries, and often in private hands. A scholar wanting to compare them must travel to each in turn, if they can be seen at all.
The Initiative is the Society’s documentary work: a digital record of this material culture, assembled so that objects held in different collections can, for the first time, be studied side by side.
What it involves
The intention is a catalogue built to research standards rather than a picture gallery — each object recorded with the permission of the collection that holds it, described consistently, and credited to its source. Later stages would place finds in their geography through an interactive map, and add three-dimensional models of objects that cannot safely be handled.
Where it stands
The Initiative is in development. It was begun by Nikolaos Avtzis, Founder and Director of the Society, and draws on the Society’s academic advisers and its partner organisations in the United Kingdom and Ukraine — listed under Partners & Collaborators.
The Society is seeking support to carry it out. If you hold relevant material, work in a collection that does, or would like to discuss the project, please write to info@greek-scythian.org.