The Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of Kars (Turkey) will exhibit for the first time two medieval gold earrings in the shape of lynxes. The museum acquired the jewelry in 1994, and since then they have been in storage under protection, remaining invisible to the general public for three decades.
Earrings were found in the village of Subatan, located near the ruins of the medieval Armenian city of Ani (located near the eastern Turkish border). The surface of each object is decorated with granulated gold - small grains form patterns and images in the form of crescents and drops. In ancient times, the lynx lived in this historical area, and it is not surprising that the ancient masters were inspired by the strong and beautiful animal.
In the Middle Ages, Ani was the prosperous capital of the Armenian (Ani) kingdom, through which important trade routes passed. By the 11th century, the population of Ani exceeded 100 thousand people who lived behind strong fortress walls. However, the fortifications and the garrison did not protect the city from the Mongols who plundered Ani in the 13th century. The first European researchers began to study the ruins in the first half of the 19th century, but in our time the archaeological complex remains in disrepair and is not protected by anyone.
