Ancient Viking Artefact, Slavic Earring Artifact, Archaeological Find, Viking Era. This piece has a beautiful natural patina. A wonderful piece of history. The early 6th century saw the spread of Slavic people, and the state of Kyivan Rus was founded in around 880 CE. Traditions of previous inhabitants did not vanish, and this was quite apparent in the jewellery. Alongside original autochthon forms, there is a mix of Scythian, Sarmatian, Hun, Greek, Celtic and Viking influence on Slavic jewellery. The techniques which were familiar to the ancient Slavs included forging, stamping, chasing, granulation, lost wax casting enameling, and niello. Artisans reached a very high level of technical proficiency. The Benedictine monk Theophilus rated jewelers of Kyivan Rus second only after the Byzantines. Besides the pendants, rings, torques, armlets, fibulas, necklaces and other such jewellery, which had been common to all nations, Slavs had original jewellery, silver armlets of a distinctive Kyiv type, temple rings, enameled kolts and diadems.
