Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

bending the bow
to hold an average of 70–100 arrows. The gorytoi were made of leather. Early examples
have been found with the quiver section covered by an embossed gold plate. Later, in
the fourth century bc, it became conventional to cover the front of the entire case with
elaborately worked gold facings made in the Greek workshops on the Pontic shore.
The decorative scenes chosen to embellish them tended to be drawn from classical
mythology but one, from the burial at Solokha, depicts five Scythians engaged in
hand-to-hand combat (Gallery, no. 7). Other items of metalwork from the Pontic kurgans
provide images of the gorytoi in daily life. One of the figures on the Chertomlÿk
amphora carries a large leather gorytos, capable of covering the entire bow, slung
from his belt on his left side (Gallery, no. 10). Two of the sitting figures on the bowl
from Gaymanova mogila have gorytoi partially cut away so that the arrows can be easily
accessed (Gallery, no. 3). Two of the warriors on the Kul’-Oba beaker also have their
gorytoi clearly in view, hanging from their belts (Gallery, no. 1). The copious iconography
is a reminder that the Scythian was seldom parted from his bow, even in repose.
The plethora of bows and arrows recorded on the Pontic steppe contrasts with the
paucity of finds in the Pazyryk tombs. No trace of any bows was recovered and arrows
were represented only by arrowheads from kurgan 2 and painted arrow shafts from
kurgan 3. It could be that archery featured less in the Altai than in the Pontic region.
Alternatively, the absence could reflect local burial practice, bows and arrows being
considered to be an inappropriate accompaniment for a burial. That said, the rider
9.14 The gold casing of a gorytos from the burial of Chertomlÿk depicting mythological scenes. The
gorytoi of the elite were usually chosen for elaborate embellishment to display the person’s status.
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