Figural Pendants (Bind-Reins Loop) from the Khazar Period in the Taurica

This article addresses all the finds of figural pendants (bind-reins loops) known so far. These are of interest for solving the question of ethnic and cultural ties between the early mediaeval population of the Crimean Peninsula and neighboring regions. Five of the six artefacts in question originate from archaeological context, suggesting their chronology from the mid-eighth to mid-ninth century. Three finds are associated with burial complexes, two were found on the settlements. Only one find was documented in a complex with horse harness related to a Khazarian barrow grave from the early stage of the Saltovo-Maichnaia culture. The rest of the artefacts were discovered in the complexes of the Alano-Gothic population of the Taurica.