On a Painted Burial Jar from Tigranakert of Artsakh

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the jar burials discovered in 2018 during excavations of the Eastern tomb field of Tigranakert of Artsakh. That is a gorgeous painted karas with ornamental and figurative bands of various motifs painted in red on a light background. The central and widest part of the vessel bears a depiction of a deer hunting scene happening on both sides of a dense tree with scattered branches. An infantryman and two horsemen armed with long spears and accompanied by hunting dogs, chase a doe and a deer. Hunting scene has been popular and widespread since ancient times. Deer hunting scene is found among the petroglyphs of the Armenian Highlands, on the bronze belts and other decorative-applied works of art from the ancient sites of Armenia and neighboring countries. This theme is especially prevalent in Achaemenid glyptic, in the fine arts of the Classical period, and in the toreutics of the Sasanian period.