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Scythian Gold, Crimean Treasures

Updated

An appeals court in the Netherlands has ruled that Ukraine has legal control over a trove of ancient artifacts from Crimea that was on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia seized the peninsula in 2014.

The items, known as the Scythian Gold, are in the Netherlands because they were borrowed from four museums in Crimea and one in Kyiv for an exhibition in early 2014 at Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum.

They were sent before Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum dismissed as illegitimate by the UN General Assembly.

The ruling on October 26, 2021, came five years after a Dutch court had said the treasures should be sent back to Ukraine. The Crimean museums, however, had lodged a joint appeal against that decision.

A spiraling torque from the second century A.D. The Scythians were master craftsmen, using a combination of techniques like casting, forging, and inlaying. 
1 A spiraling torque from the second century A.D. The Scythians were master craftsmen, using a combination of techniques like casting, forging, and inlaying. 
A second-century A.D. golden earring with glass inlay and figurine, found in a woman's grave at the necropolis of Ust-Alma.
2 A second-century A.D. golden earring with glass inlay and figurine, found in a woman's grave at the necropolis of Ust-Alma.
A gold helmet from the fourth century B.C. 
3 A gold helmet from the fourth century B.C. 
A picture dated August 21, 2014 shows objects on display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. 
4 A picture dated August 21, 2014 shows objects on display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. 
A visitor at the museum on August 21, 2014. The exhibits are currently held in storage.
5 A visitor at the museum on August 21, 2014. The exhibits are currently held in storage.
The art and objects have an insured value of about $1.57 million. This photo was taken in Simferopol museum, in Crimea, where the pieces were taken from. 
6 The art and objects have an insured value of about $1.57 million. This photo was taken in Simferopol museum, in Crimea, where the pieces were taken from. 
An image provided by the Allard Pierson Museum from its 2014 exhibition, titled Crimea: Gold And Secrets From the Black Sea
7 An image provided by the Allard Pierson Museum from its 2014 exhibition, titled Crimea: Gold And Secrets From the Black Sea
The original 2016 court ruling said the collection was part of Ukraine's cultural heritage and should be sent to Kyiv. It said only sovereign states could claim objects as cultural heritage.
8 The original 2016 court ruling said the collection was part of Ukraine's cultural heritage and should be sent to Kyiv. It said only sovereign states could claim objects as cultural heritage.
Artifacts from the grave of a Scythian noblewoman from the first century A.D.
9 Artifacts from the grave of a Scythian noblewoman from the first century A.D.
An equestrian-themed gravestone from the first or second century A.D. The Scythians were famed for their horsemanship.
10 An equestrian-themed gravestone from the first or second century A.D. The Scythians were famed for their horsemanship.
A first-second century A.D. statue of a sea monster with two tails. It was found at the site of the Greek colony of Pantikapaion on the eastern shore of Crimea.
11 A first-second century A.D. statue of a sea monster with two tails. It was found at the site of the Greek colony of Pantikapaion on the eastern shore of Crimea.
A Chinese lacquer box from the first century A.D., a burial gift for a Scythian woman
12 A Chinese lacquer box from the first century A.D., a burial gift for a Scythian woman
Objects on display in Amsterdam, August 21, 2014. The Scythians were a nomadic people who left a rich heritage of art and artifacts.
13 Objects on display in Amsterdam, August 21, 2014. The Scythians were a nomadic people who left a rich heritage of art and artifacts.
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