Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic, reels in a Sarmatian fibula (pin) made of gold over bronze, from the Kuban river valley in South Russia (1st c. BC - 1st c. AD) he found in one of the Museum's storerooms. November 9, 1999 "These beautiful objects relate closely to the Black Sea area where we will be working next summer with Fred Hiebert of this Museum. It is the land of the mythological story of Jason and the Argonauts who went in search of the Golden Fleece. Actually, they were Greeks on a raiding party who came up the Bosporus to steal the gold. The fleece itself was a sheepskin, weighted down with stones and submerged in the rivers of Georgia to catch the precious flecks of gold. When the fleece was golden it was smelted and used for jewelry and decorations similar to the the ones on this piece. "Near Sinope, Turkey, where we will be working next season, Hercules fought the Amazon women. The figure on this fibula looks very much like an Amazon woman bearing the head of a vanquished enemy. She certainly appears to be wearing lipstick. Recently on the northern coast of Turkey, near our site, there have been Scythian graves excavated that contained women buried with their weapons. The Amazons, perhaps! "Quite possibly, this summer, motivated by these golden decorations, we may be able to add another chapter to this story." next pair of eyes >