Scythian Gilded Bronze Appliqué Artifact with Lion circa 300-400 A.D.
3.6 x 2.1 x 0.1 centimeters (3.40 grams)

Provenance: From private collection in the United States of America.
Ownership History: From private collection in the United States, bought in private sale in the United States of America.

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In its broadest sense, an appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface. The technique is very common in some kinds of textiles , but may be applied to many materials. In the context of ceramics, for example, an appliqué is a separate piece of clay added to the primary work, generally for the purpose of decoration.

The term is borrowed from French and, in this context, means "applied" or "thing that has been applied." Appliqué is a surface pattern that is used to decorate an aspect of a garment or product.

The Scythians also known as Scyth, Saka, Sakae, Sai, Iskuzai, or Askuzai, were Eurasian nomads , probably mostly using Eastern Iranian languages , who were mentioned by the literate peoples surrounding them as inhabiting large areas in the central Eurasian steppes from about the 9th century BC up until the 4th century AD. The "classical Scythians" known to ancient Greek historians were located in the northern Black Sea and fore-Caucasus region. Other Scythian groups documented by Assyrian , Achaemenid and Chinese sources show that they also existed in Central Asia , where they were referred to as the Iskuzai/Askuzai, Saka (Old Persian: Sakā; New Persian /Pashto: ساکا‎; Sanskrit : शक Śaka; Greek : Σάκαι; Latin : Sacae), and Sai (Chinese: 塞; Old Chinese : *sˤək), respectively.^[5]

The relationships between the peoples living in these widely separated regions remains unclear. The term "Scythian" is used by modern scholars in an archaeological context for finds perceived to display attributes of the "Scytho-Siberian" culture, usually without implying an ethnic or linguistic connotation. The term Scythic may also be used in a similar way, "to describe a special phase that followed the widespread diffusion of mounted nomadism, characterized by the presence of special weapons, horse gear , and animal art in the form of metal plaques". Their westernmost territories during the Iron Age were known to classical Greek sources as Scythia .

The Scythians were among the earliest peoples to master mounted warfare . In the 8th century BC they possibly raided Zhou China . Soon after they expanded westwards and dislodged the Cimmerians from power on the Pontic Steppe . At their peak, Scythians came to dominate the entire steppe zone, stretching from the Carpathian Mountains in the west to the central China (Ordos culture) and the south Siberia (Tagar culture) in the east, creating what has been referred to as the first Central Asian nomadic empire .

Based in Crimea the western Scythians were ruled by a wealthy class known as the Royal Scyths. The Scythians established and controlled a vast trade network connecting Greece , Persia , India and China , perhaps contributing to the contemporary flourishing of those civilizations. Settled metalworkers made portable decorative objects for the Scythians. These objects survive mainly in metal, forming a distinctive Scythian art . In the 7th century BC the Scythians crossed the Caucasus and frequently raided the Middle East along with the Cimmerians, playing an important role in the political developments of the region. Around 650–630 BC, Scythians briefly dominated the Medes of the Iranian Plateau , stretching their power all the away to the borders of Egypt . After losing control over Media the Scythians continued intermedling in Middle Eastern affairs, playing a leading role in the destruction of the Assyrian Empire in the Sack of Nineveh in 612 BC. The Scythians subsequently engaged in frequent conflicts with the Achaemenid Empire . The western Scythians suffered a major defeat against Macedonia in the 4th century BC, and were subsequently gradually conquered by the Sarmatians , a related Iranian people from Central Asia. The Scythians of the Asian Steppe (Saka) were attacked by the Yuezhi , Wusun and Xiongnu in the 2nd century BC, prompting many of them to migrate into South Asia , where they became known as Indo-Scythians . In the 3rd century AD, after the demise of the Han dynasty and the Xiongnu, the remaining Scythians crossed the Pamir Mountains and settled in the western Tarim Basin , where the Scythian Khotanese and Tumshuqese languages are attested in Brahmi scripture from the 10th and 11th centuries AD.