Bronze statuette of a legionary (foot soldier), perhaps a praetorian guard. The soldier wears a tunic, with an outer skirt of leather straps, and on his upper body, lorica segmentata. He is also wearing strapped sandals, breeches, and a crested helmet. [750x1586]
An incredible haul of 2,800-year-old gold jewellery has been unearthed by archaeologists in Kazakhstan. Some 3,000 golden and precious items were found in a burial mound in the remote Tarbagatai mountains. (source in comment) [964x643]
Ivan Bilibin. Bird Alkonost (left). Bird Of Paradise Sirin (right). 1905. The State Museum of Fine Arts of Tatarstan Republic, Kazan.
The Alkonost is, according to Russian mythos and folklore, a creature with the body of a bird but the head of a beautiful woman. It makes sounds that are amazingly beautiful, and those who hear these sounds forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again. She lives in the underworld with her counterpart the Sirin. The name of the Alkonost came from a Greek demigoddess whose name was Alcyone.
![historyarchaeologyartefacts:
“Statue of Sassanid Nobleman, seen in the national museum of Iran. [826 x 560]
”](https://66.media.tumblr.com/963f9a6adeec3be7646eacc87fe60a98/tumblr_pknkjjIslZ1vx1np0o1_500.jpg)
