Eurasian Textiles

The on-going struggle to find examples of fabric from pre-Hunnic Eurasia. The climate of the steppes is ill suited to preservation. Fortunately there are exceptions to the rule. Today I found a beautiful example of rug weaving (thanks in no small part to my disorginized ramblings about the interwebs). I have found several sites with pictures and information regarding this find. Pazyrk Kurgan 5 specifically, however as always seems to be the case, it has multiple claims upon it. It is being refered to as a Persian carpet by some, Scythian by others. True the Persian Empire spans the ages, however most dates I find are post 550 BCE. Prior to that there was a parade of empires in the area. The rug was found in a Scythian burial kurgan, has been dated to the 5th century BCE. Above that it's difficult to say who made it. It does pocess Scythian themes, including figures on horseback, gryphons and deer. Yes it is a pile carpet, meaning it is knotted in the persian style. But also consider the quality of work, over 180 knots to the square inch. This is not the result of a new technology. The rug was made by culture who had mastered the needed skills. With the number of cultures in the the area and the fact that many were nomadic in nature it is possible that this technique was introduced to the region from elsewhere. On the other hand perhaps not. One cannot argue the importance of such finds, as they continue to prove how clever, talented and advanced our ancestors truely were.