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Persian- Sassanide art patterns have similarities with the art of the Bulgars, Khazars, and Saka- Scythians, and have recurred in Asia. They predominantly feature motifs of fighting animals. Gold was frequently used as a base for their art creations.
The characteristic patterns of Persian- Sassanide art exhibit similarities to the art of the Bulgars, [1] Khazars, and Saka- Scythian, and have recurred at different locations in the Central Asia region. A " griffin fighting an elk" motif from the Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós, found in 1799 in what is today Romania, bears similarities with another griffin & elk motif discovered in the tombs of Hsiung-nu [2] (early Huns, also Xiongnu) during Colonel Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov [3] [4] expedition (1907–09) near Urga (Outer Mongolia). [5] [6] [7]
A gold symbolization of "animals-in-fight" has been also found in the vicinity of the city of Turpan, [8] the principal crossroad of the northern Silk Road. Golden "animals-in-fight" have also been identified as 3rd – 2nd century B.C. Mongolia (or southern Siberia), being characteristic of Hsiung-nu or Xiongnu.
The early history of the Nomads is not well recorded, which changed after their contact with cultures possessing written history. Nomadic people of the vast steppes of Asia were a major force in history. [9] Their power was not in the empires they built, but rather the turmoil they created among ancient civilizations such as China or Persia, impacting their historical development substantially. [10] It is believed that the nomads ranged widely, forever moving on for sake of richer grazing for their horses and sheep.[ citation needed] Migrations were often seasonal. Their skill at extracting gold was unprecedented.[ citation needed] In summer, during the tribe's seasonal migration, a fleece would be weighted on a riverbed to collect particles of alluvial gold. Upon the tribes' return, the fleece would be sheared, burned, and a gold ingot the size of a horse's hoof would result.[ citation needed] The tay tayak (the horse's hoof) was a unit of gold for a long period, which was used as a measure of an amount of golden metal rather than money, since gold was not fabricated as currency.[ citation needed] Using gold was a spiritual practice, as emblems of priestly office, prizes for physical prowess in ritual sport, or as adornment of the sacral ceremony of marriage. [11]