Pazyryk Carpet
| Pazyryk Carpet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Name | Pazyryk Carpet |
| Original name | فرش پازیریک |
| Alternative name(s) | Pazyryk Carpet |
| Origin | Iran |
| Date | 5th - 4th century BC |
| Period | Early Iron Age |
| Artist/Maker | Pazyryk Barrow No. 5 (excavations by S.I. Rudenko, 1949). Altai Territory, Pazyryk Boundary, the Valley of the River Bolshoy Ulagan |
| Name Museum | Hermitage Museum |
| Technical information | |
| Common designs | 24 cross-shaped figures, each of which consists of 4 stylized lotus buds |
| Common colors | yellow, blue, red |
| Dyeing method | Natural |
| Foundation material | Wool |
| Knot type | Symmetrical Knot (Turkish) |
| Knot density | 3600 knots per 1 dm2 |
Around the 5th century BC, nomadic tribes of Eurasia, known as the Scythians, buried their dead in vast tomb mounds called kurgans. They buried valuable artefacts alongside the mummified remains of the rich and powerful. The Pazyryk rug was buried alongside the Prince of Altai. Unfortunately, the tomb was raided by thieves – but they left the rug behind. It remained there for 25 centuries before it was excavated and dated through radiocarbon testing.[1]
History
Altai Territory, Pazyryk Boundary, the Valley of the River Bolshoy Ulagan. The world's most ancient pile carpet was found in the largest of the Pazyryk burial mounds. Its decoration is rich and varied: the central field is occupied by 24 cross-shaped figures, each of which consists of 4 stylized lotus buds. This composition is framed by a border of griffins, followed by another one of 24 fallow deer. The widest border contains 28 figures of men on horseback and dismounted. The once bright yellows, blues, and reds of the carpet are now faded, but must originally have provided a glowing range of colors.
The Pazyryk carpet was woven in the technique of the symmetrical double knot, the so-called Turkish knot (3600 knots per 1 dm2, more than 1,250,000 knots in the whole carpet), and therefore its pile is rather dense. The exact origin of this unique carpet is unknown. There is a version of its Iranian provenance. But perhaps it was produced in Central Asia through which the contacts of ancient Altaians with Iran and the Near East took place. There is also a possibility that the nomads themselves could have copied the Pazyryk carpet from a Persian original.[2]
Gallery
Pazyryk Carpet
Pazyryk Carpet
Pazyryk Carpet
