Knife and Belt: Analysis of Seima-Turbino Bronze Weapons

Abstract

A bronze knife from the burial site near Rostovka village was found in a grave under the skull bones that belonged to a nine–ten-year-old child. Sopka-2/4B Krotovo necropolis has two burials, in which daggers were found under the bones of a child and a man. This ritual might have been associated with the belief that wearing a knife around one’s neck behind one’s back could make the owner invulnerable. Necklaces and belts are known to have a similar magic function. The SeimaTurbino tradition of belt weapons still remains understudied: in fact, no belt weapon has been described for this culture so far, as the belts might have been made of wool. Various weaving techniques are based on the materials of the Sinthashta and Petrovka sites. The newly-discovered images on the Seima-Turbino knives add new information to the known ceremonial practice.