Gold Neck Jewelry of the 6th—7th Centuries from the South-Western Crimea

In the second quarter of the 6 th—7 th centuries, women of the South-Western Crimea wore a ceremonial costume, which consisted of an outer dress belted with a wide belt with a large buckle, a shoulder cape, which was often fastened to the dress with a pair of identical brooches, and a specific set of jewelry. One of the components of this costume, which marked the most notable representatives of the community, are small gold neck decorations of a triangular shape, which received the name “gorodki” in the specialized literature by analogy with the figures from the ancient folk game, made up of cylindrical wooden posts. They were prevalent in the second half of the 6 th — first half of the 7 th century when they were used in sets of 7—8 pieces to decorate the neck of a dress or worn as a composite neck decoration. In the second half of the 7 th century, the fashion for gorodki is fading — they are rarely worn, having reduced the number of sets to a minimum. The gorodki are being replaced by pendants, which retain the same size and shape but change their purpose: they are used as pendant decorations, one at a time or in pairs, and necklaces with beads. “Gorodki” goes back to the Sarmatian-Alan tradition, while decorating the neck of a dress with a wide stripe or wearing a composite necklace in early medieval times was more consistent with Byzantine fashion. Small gold jewelry serves as one of the most striking examples of the mixing of different ethnocultural traditions in the costume of the Crimean Goths.