
The winds of history were blowing when Spanish officials seized Scythian jewelry, valued at a staggering €60m (£52m), reputedly stolen from Ukraine. The trove of 11 glistening gold pieces, centuries old, are believed to have been illicitly transported out of Ukraine in 2016 before ending up in the upscale antique market of Spain.
The collection is comprised of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings dating back to the 8th to 4th Centuries BC and, to enhance their provenance, came with counterfeit documents purporting their association with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
This discovery occurs in the wake of the apprehension of five individuals as part of an ongoing inquiry into the 2021 sale of a gold belt adorned with exquisite rams’ heads.
The Scythians, a nomadic group that thrived in various parts of eastern Europe and Asia, including present-day southern Ukraine, from around 800 BC until 400 AD, were the creators of these exquisite pieces. They were lauded for their cultural richness and deftness in metalworking, particularly evident in their intricate gold jewelry.
Meanwhile, just last week, Ukrainian officials announced the recovery of 14 archaeological items reportedly pilfered from territories under Russian control. The items recovered comprise a Neolithic axe dating back to approximately 5,000-3,000 BC. An alleged Russian national was apprehended in an attempt to smuggle these invaluable relics into the United States.
Ukraine’s acting Minister of Culture, Rostyslav Karandieiev, couldn’t help but comment with a touch of humor on the situation during a news conference, “It’s safe to say that Ukraine has received a new shipment of weaponry. The only catch is that this weaponry is incredibly ancient.”
Artifacts created by the Scythian civilization stand out prominently among Ukraine’s cherished historical heritage. Ukrainian archaeologists opine that Scythian gold preserved in Ukrainian museums in areas under Russian occupation has been systematically looted since last year’s incursion. The assumed Russian plundering of Ukraine’s historical and artistic heritage has projected a staggering financial loss running into hundreds of millions of euros.