Belt Buckles Sakae Culture 5th-4th century BC Gold L 15.5, h 12.2, wt 464.85 g These double belt buckles were cast and decorated in chased relief, one the mirror image of the other. The composition consists of two male and one female figure with horses resting under a tree. It has been variously interpreted as a genre scene with the title 'Breaking the Journey' and as a scene from folklore or epic legend concerning the return to life of a dead hero. Such very careful depictions provide rich material for the study of ancient cultures. Analogies for the figures depicted and their clothes, the bow and quiver hanging in the tree, the horses with their bridles and saddles, can be seen among artifacts of Sakae culture, and buckles are very similar to objects found in the burial mounds of the High Altai.