Etruscan bronze wine strainers discovered in the area of the Northern Black Sea coast (Z. Bilimovich)

The present article deals with the Hermitage collection of ten Etruscan wine strainers from the first half of the fifth century B.C. All were found in the southern regions of the USSR, i.e. in the Dnieper valley and on the northern Black Sea coast: at Olbia, 124 Nymphaeum, and in the Taman peninsula. The form and decoration of the handles suggest a division into three types. The strainers having handles with engraved linear and relief ornamentation are the most interesting; their origin has not hitherto been definitely established. The study of the strainers with this decor - their technology, and the motifs and style of their ornamentation - has led the author to the conclusion that they are of Etruscan provenance. This conclusion is confirmed by a comparison with similar objects found in Etruscan burials.

The strainers are classified, firstly, by the type of the bowl (Type A, cast, with a separately forged strainer section; Type B, forged, the strainer section forming a single whole with the bowl), and secondly, by the type of the handle (whether executed separately and then riveted to the bowl, or forming a single whole with the latter).