8th-9th century AD. A bronze gilt horse headpiece and eighteen large circular bronze plaques from a Khazar horse harness, the headpiece formed as a large convex circular plate, decorated by four copper-alloy flowers, with a carved edge and a hollow tube in the form of a truncated cone. See ??????? ?.?., '? ??????? ?? ?????? ????????????? ????????? ?????????? ???????? (?? ?????????? ?????????? ? ?????????? ?????????????????? ? ?????????????? ???????????)' in ?????? ???.? 413, 1998; ???????? ?.?., ????????? ? ????? ?????? ???????? VIII-IX ??. ???????? ????? ?. ?????????? ?????? (?? ??????????? ??????????? ????????? ???????????"). ???????. ???. ????. ??????, 1999; ??????? ?.?., '??????????? ??????????? ????????? ???????-??????? ???????? ?? ????????? ?????' in ??????? ?????????? 2001, no.1-2; see for the way in which were mounted on the horses Nicolle, D., Zhirohov, M., The Khazars, A Judeo-Turkish Empire on the Steppes, 7th-11th centuries AD, Oxford, 2019, pl.C. 460 grams total, 4.3-11cm wide (1 3/4 - 4 1/4"). Private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, 1990s. Property of a London binessman. Recent studies carried out at the Verkhny Saltovsky burial ground (Volchansky district of the Kharkov region) by the archaeological expedition conducted by the Kharkov Historical Meum under the leader of V.G. Borodulin (1984-1992), lead to the discovery of several interestingplexes containing sets of horse harness ornaments, which included horse headpieces. Horse plume holders, along with other ornaments of harness belts similar to our specimen, were found in three of four separate horse burials located on the north-western slopes of the Kapnnosovy ravine. [19]