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are only repetitions of ancient motives that easily continue to the middle of the I millennium. Plate XXXIX no. 6 warrants the same date. Here the opening for the pin is not the usual round hole but instead is in the form of a slit. The monster-head is completely geometric, broken up with thread-line forms. They frame cups that sometimes still hold turquoise. Generally these imitations of so-called Ch'in ornaments resemble their models fairly closely. They lack precision, however, and the decorated background which is never lacking in Ch'in examples.
4) Objects of accoutrement.
The inventory of the Minussinsk horseman is not by any means completely known. It would certainly be possible to add other objects to those compiled by-Martin and Tallgren, had the discoveries of the last few years been published.
a) Scabbards.
Tallgren has proved the existence of scabbards for curved weapons in the Minussinsk region (zo). His examples are wider at the opening but not so curved as ours, yet the essential characteristics remain the same. In each case the bronze is completed with leather to form the scabbard. It is decorated on one side only, and the animals placed along the edge are smooth and unmodeled at the back. This may be explained by the fact that the scabbard touched the clothing. As for two examples from the Loo collection (Plate XL nos. i & z), it seems likely that they hung in a nearly horizontal position because of the square loops on each corner of the upper edge. On the second piece there is another pair of loops on the lower edge as well, but it is impossible to explain their purpose. The oblique ribbons which form the outside of the scabbards are ornamented with dots. It is the string of animals, once six stags so close that they touch each other, the other seven separate geese, which helps us to solve the question of date. The stags have the characteristic Minussinsk round perforations in the eyes, nostrils and antlers, but otherwise they are rather summarily executed. The rendering of only the elementary features is even more pronounced with the geese. This brings us to a date at the end of the I millennium, a date given to knives that were of the same style.
An extremely interesting object (Plate XL no. 3) is without parallel. We have added it only provisionally to the group of scabbards because of its general shape. It differs from the preceding pieces, the purpose of which is unmistakable, in that it is open below, and that the two sides are treated in the same way except for the ornamental ribbon along the sides. The inner side has five holes on the socket section, one under each animal head, surrounded by a smooth frame. There are two more holes on the edge, behind the first and in front of the last animal-head. On one side of the arc, only slightly curved, we find a chain of triangles on a low background, while the other side has two denticulated bands that come from each edge, their points touching a medial bar which
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