Gold necklace /torque [grivna] from Dubăsari, Republic of Moldova. Weights 814 g, diameter 25 cm. Found in 1981 in a burial without a skeleton. It was most likely a symbolic burial of a Scythian leader whose body was missing for some reason, so called Cenotaph [an empty grave].
A comprehensive description of the necklace and the burial is provided in the video from the Moldova museum [link below].
The burial in which the collar was found dates back to the beginning of the fourth century, but the necklace itself was older, at least 50 years, and most likely passed down from generation to generation, because there are traces of soldering on the hryvna [as I understand that indicates repairing]. The middle part, with two ducks, is believed to be a later addition to an “open” necklace with lion-head ends.
- Additional info:
- https://adevarul.ro/moldova/actualitate/comori-gasite-republica-moldova-1_54e5b982448e03c0fdc5070b/index.html
- https://press.try.md/item.php?id=1042839745&full