http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101 art outside the box Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-9677 Susan Grigsby Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:04:48 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-9677 Nomads and Networks is so exciting intellectually as well as visually; To see this part of the world opened up to the West as more is discovered archaeologically reframes our current understanding. Hope that this exhibit will be the beginning of many which will show the historical connections and the legacy through Central Asia.

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-9071 Kevin McElroy Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:16:49 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-9071 Irish mythology is one of the oldest extant mythologies in Europe – 3000 years. This literature claims that Ireland was populated, or invaded, by a wave of migrations of various tribes of a “priestly and magical people”, and expressly states that their origin was from Scythia, now known as Kazakhstan. I think this has never been investigated because it just sounds so outlandish, but why would they claim such a bizarre and specific thing? There were many celtic tribes in Kazakhstan, and red-haired traders have been found buried in Western China. While there is no direct archaeological evidence to prove an opposite migration westward, it seems to me that there is one compelling link: the incredibly fanciful gold ornamentation of the otherwise very primitive Irish. It’s complexity, form, and imagery seem amazingly similar to Kazakh goldwork. And how did such a primitive people develop such a high art? I think a comparative study is justified of ancient Irish and Kazakh goldwork, as a way of possibly lending credence to this historically claimed migration. There are many other literary mentions from ancient historians of visitations to Ireland or Hibernia, which at the time was believed to be a magical and spiritual place at the “edge of the world”, a celtic Valhalla of sorts, the merging point of heaven and earth. A people as ever-wandering and determinedly unrooted as the Kazakhs would eventually develop a belief that they were not earth-bound, that their true home could only be in a spiritual realm. Maybe a group of these landlocked people heard of this magical place in the ocean at the edge of the world and decided that that was where they truly belonged?

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-7133 Alex Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:31:00 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-7133 Thank you so much, Robert. Antlered deer it is, not horned deer. Antlers are shed and horns have a core made of bone and are not shed. This came courtesy of our mammal expert from the Smithsonian, Suzanne Peurach, who stated that based on the mammals found in Kazakhstan, the piece in the exhibition is probably a red deer, Cervus elaphus, the same species as what we call an elk or wapiti here in the United States. Thank you, again, Robert, for paying close attention!

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-7115 Robert Glasgow Wed, 19 Sep 2012 01:20:00 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-7115 The “Horned deer…” description should be restated as the “Antlered deer…” There is a big difference between horns and antlers.

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-5223 melanie jean juneau Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:02:54 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-5223 The exhibit sounds fascinating. Your writing captures your enthusiasm and it is contagious. Wish I could see it in person but the blog enteries on Bento are so vivid that it is almost like I am there in person.

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-5141 Martha Bari Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:32:57 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-5141 Thanks so much for such a beautifully written, evocative blog entry. You really whetted my appetite. Can’t wait until August 11th!

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-5045 Alex Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:54:32 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-5045 Many thanks for your comment! Traveling throughout Kazakhstan to learn more about the many histories in an organized tour would be fantastic. We hope to inspire visitors to think about the many facets of ancient mobile live styles, the many ancient cultures and vast heritage of Eurasia, steppe cultures, and then perhaps even reflecting on modern networking and nomadism. Hope so much you come to DC and visit the exhibition!

]]> http://blog.asia.si.edu/from-the-collections/ancient-near-east/encounters-with-the-golden-deer-kazakhstan-101/#comment-5043 Veronica Kalas Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:08:44 +0000 http://blog.asia.si.edu/?p=3046#comment-5043 Smithsonian Journeys should organize a trip to Kazakhstan, or the central Asian republics more generally. Congratulations on what promises to be an exciting exhibit!

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