Persian-Sassanid Art Patterns - The Art of The Nomads

The Art of The Nomads

The early history of the Nomads is shrouded with enigma, which lifts somewhat only after their contact with cultures possessing written history. Nomadic people of the vast steppes of Asia were a major force in history. Their power was not in the empires they built, but rather, it was the turmoil they have created on ancient civilizations such as China or Persia, affecting substantially their historical development. It is believed that the nomads ranged relentlessly and widely, forever moving on for sake of richer grazing for their horses and sheep. Migrations were often seasonal. In the course of such migrations nomads wove for themselves an imperishable and precious intimacy with their land and its natural resources. They could extract gold with unprecedented ease. In summer, during the tribe's seasonal migration, a fleece would be weighted on a riverbed to collect particles of alluvial gold. Upon the tribes' return, the fleece would be sheared, burned, and gold ingot the size of a horse's hoof would result. The 'tay tayak' (the horse's hoof) was a unit of gold for a long period: a measure of golden metal rather than money, since gold was not fabricated as currency. Usage of gold was essentially spiritual - as emblems of priestly office, of prizes for physical prowess in ritual sport, or as adornment of the sacral ceremony of marriage.