Museum complex

Bronze hook with sculptures of men

Bronze Age
Maikop Culture
Bronze
Total length-7.6 cm; height of figures 3 and 3.2 cm
Receipt: excavations under the supervision of N.I. Veselovsky, 1898
Showcase 2

The hook with a two-prong fork at the base of the sleeve is made of bronze. In the base of the sleeve are made holes for fixing the hook to a wooden handle. Two male figures are placed symmetrically on the fork prongs. They are facing each other. Men are depicted in the pugilist combat stance: left hand bent at elbow is put forward with a fist at a shoulder level; the right arm is also bent with the fist in front of the chin. Both figures of men have belts. One of them has a headpiece in the form of a forehead bandage or a braid worn over the ears. On their broad faces one can see eyebrows, eyes, a hooked nose and a beard. The object is dated back to the end of the IV Millennium BC. It not only gives an idea of the applied arts of the Bronze Age, but also contains interesting information about ritual events: fist fights that took place in ancient times.

More information...

Functional purpose: sleeve hooks are one of the oldest tools of the Bronze Age. This item was found inside the mound as part of the burial inventory and confirms the special status of the buried.
Note of uniqueness: bronze hook with miniature sculptures of men is a unique find and the only find of its kind. This is probably the oldest image of a man in the North Caucasus.

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