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."Scythia", Scythian Gold, Hermitage Museum, Faberge
After having completed the readings I became interested in examining the religious beliefs of Scythians and their connections to Buddhism. Why did the envoy find a copy of the Scripture in Forty-two Sections in "Scythia"?
Page 46. Each nation has its own myth of the arrival of Buddhism. In the case of China, it is said that the emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty (who reigned from 58c.e. to 75c.e.) had a dream in which he saw a golden spirit outside of his palace, emitting rays of light from the top of his head. When he told his ministers about his dream, they reported that they have heard about the sage called "Buddha" who was able to fly. The emperor dispatched a party of envoys, who journeyed westward into Central Asia and the eastern end of the vast and vague region that the Greeks called "Scythia", returning with a copy of the Scripture in Forty-two Sections (p. 496).
I am very familiar with the unique collection of the Scythian gold from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The most valuable artefacts were produced by the nomadic tribes of the area known as Scythia from the 7th to 3rd centuries BC. The identities of the nomadic peoples of the steppes is often uncertain, and the term "Scythian" should often be taken loosely; the art of nomads much further east than the core Scythian territory exhibits close similarities as well as differences, and terms such as the "Scytho-Siberian world" are often used.
The major contribution for the collection of the Scythian gold, started by Peter the Great in early 18c and continued by Catherine the Great who ordered a systematic study be made of the works, was made during the time of Russian Emperor Alexander III with the development of modern archaeological techniques and efforts of the Russian archaeologists specializing in Central Asia who led many of the most important excavations of kurgans. Russian scholars from the State Hermitage Museum have concluded that a discovery of Scythian gold in a Siberian grave in summer of 2001 is the earliest of its kind ever found and that it predates Greek influence. The find is leading to a change in how scholars view the Scythians, supposed barbaric, nomadic tribes that once roamed the Eurasian steppes. (See the article in its original context in New York Times from January 9, 2002, Section E, Page 1)
In 1882 Fabergé won a gold medal at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow, where he attracted the attention of the Tsar, Alexander III (1845-94), and his wife, Marie Feodorovna (1847-1928). Tsar Alexander III personally praised Faberge for his replica of a gold Scythian bracelet from the 4th century BC. Three years later, in 1885, Faberge was awarded a warrant as official supplier to the imperial court. It was then that the Tsar commissioned Fabergé to produce the first Imperial Easter Egg for his wife Maria, starting an annual tradition which would showcase some of his most inventive and sophisticated craftsmanship.
After having completed the readings I became interested in examining the religious beliefs of Scythians and their connections to Buddhism. Why did the envoy find a copy of the Scripture in Forty-two Sections in "Scythia"?
Page 46. Each nation has its own myth of the arrival of Buddhism. In the case of China, it is said that the emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty (who reigned from 58c.e. to 75c.e.) had a dream in which he saw a golden spirit outside of his palace, emitting rays of light from the top of his head. When he told his ministers about his dream, they reported that they have heard about the sage called "Buddha" who was able to fly. The emperor dispatched a party of envoys, who journeyed westward into Central Asia and the eastern end of the vast and vague region that the Greeks called "Scythia", returning with a copy of the Scripture in Forty-two Sections (p. 496).
I am very familiar with the unique collection of the Scythian gold from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The most valuable artefacts were produced by the nomadic tribes of the area known as Scythia from the 7th to 3rd centuries BC. The identities of the nomadic peoples of the steppes is often uncertain, and the term "Scythian" should often be taken loosely; the art of nomads much further east than the core Scythian territory exhibits close similarities as well as differences, and terms such as the "Scytho-Siberian world" are often used.
The major contribution for the collection of the Scythian gold, started by Peter the Great in early 18c and continued by Catherine the Great who ordered a systematic study be made of the works, was made during the time of Russian Emperor Alexander III with the development of modern archaeological techniques and efforts of the Russian archaeologists specializing in Central Asia who led many of the most important excavations of kurgans. Russian scholars from the State Hermitage Museum have concluded that a discovery of Scythian gold in a Siberian grave in summer of 2001 is the earliest of its kind ever found and that it predates Greek influence. The find is leading to a change in how scholars view the Scythians, supposed barbaric, nomadic tribes that once roamed the Eurasian steppes. (See the article in its original context in New York Times from January 9, 2002, Section E, Page 1)
In 1882 Fabergé won a gold medal at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow, where he attracted the attention of the Tsar, Alexander III (1845-94), and his wife, Marie Feodorovna (1847-1928). Tsar Alexander III personally praised Faberge for his replica of a gold Scythian bracelet from the 4th century BC. Three years later, in 1885, Faberge was awarded a warrant as official supplier to the imperial court. It was then that the Tsar commissioned Fabergé to produce the first Imperial Easter Egg for his wife Maria, starting an annual tradition which would showcase some of his most inventive and sophisticated craftsmanship.
