A Cilician Bowl Evidences Trade Relations Between Cilicia and Kievan Rus’

A 12th-13th-century Cilician bowl featuring distinctive Armenian symbols of eagles and lions, as well as an Armenian king, possibly, Levon, is today displayed at the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia. The bowl was originally discovered in the Russian Vilgort village in 1925.

This bowl is only one of the plethora of Cilician artifacts unearthed. It is noteworthy not only in regard to Cilician art but because it is another testimony to the developed trade of the state. The thing is that the discovery of this artifact in Russia indicates that the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had developed trade relations with Kievan Rus’.

Unfortunately, there is nothing much known in the matter of the origins of the bowl or what the images on it signify.

Although the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia existed for only a couple of centuries, it has played a remarkable role in the region. For example, it has been the bastion of Christendom in the East as well as a significant center of regional trade. Cilicia has been well-developed from the standpoint of culture as well, as could be seen from the huge variety of artifacts discovered in recent years.