Sarmatians postal block

Philately is frequently referred to as a special field of historical scholarship. The reason for this is its close connection with history. In addition that philately itself creates history, it also illuminates cognitive events of the past. Each stamp sketch reveals the essence of historical facts and phenomena, the activities of historical figures and similar.

 Ukrainian stamps of ancient times

The first issue covering the ancient history of Ukraine was the 1999 edition entitled " The Gold of the Scythians", which consisted of 4 stamps. In 2002, the " History of the Ukrainian Army" series was issued, where Scythian warriors were represented among the stamps. Then in 2013. "Scythian Pectoral", featuring a mosaic-type jewellery piece of 4 stamps.

During 2013-2015, the issue "Beauty and Greatness of Ukraine" was published, where Scythian attributes in the form of a stele and Trypillian dishes are found. In 2014, a common format "Ukraine-Pakistan" was issued. The postal block was called "Monuments of Ancient Cultures" and contained two stamps - "Trypillian Culture" and "Mohenjo-Daro".

The issue "Cultural Epochs of Ukraine" was launched in 2017 and consists of the following postal blocks:

·         2017 Paleolithic, print run of 40,000 copies;

·         2018 Trypillya, print run of 30,000 copies;

·         2019 Cimmerians, print run of 30 000 copies;

·         2020 Scythians, print run of 20 000 copies;

·         2022 Sarmatians, print run of 20 000 copies.

Postal blocks " Cimmerians " and " Sarmatians " have only one stamp per sheet, all other series - 2 stamps each. As part of the issue of all stamps in 2019, the most expensive was " Cimmerians " with a cost of 30 UAH. In total, from 1992 to the present day, 30 issues of philatelic products dedicated to primitive and ancient history have been issued.

 Postal block "Cultural epochs of Ukraine. Sarmatians"

The issue was part of the thematic plan and was supposed to be released in March 2022. However, due to the introduction of martial law in the country, it was forced to be postponed. Ukrposhta announced the issue of the " Sarmatians " stamp at the end of September, warning in advance about the small circulation and the purpose of the sale of the postal block to holders of philatelic subscriptions.

·         Date of putting into circulation: 27.09.2022

·         Circulation - 20 thousand copies

·         Block format - 129x117 mm

·         Stamp format - 63.4 x 44 mm

·         Number of stamps per sheet – 1

·         The nominal value is 47.00 UAH.

·         Author - Serhiy Haruk, Oleksandr Haruk

According to the authors, the postal blocks in this series visualise historical periods of primitive and ancient Ukraine. They illustrate the life, everyday life, crafts and stories of military campaigns of the warriors of those tribes.

 Description of the postal block

There is only one stamp on the sheet, so the block has a rather expressive thematic design. The lower part of the sheet has a design inscription "Sarmatians", which is located in the center. To the left of it is a historical discovery - a weapon in the form of a sword in a holster of that time. On the right side is a Sarmatian gold ornament. Below is a brief textual information about the Sarmatian tribes. The title of the series "CULTURAL EPOCHES OF UKRAINE" is printed in small capital letters above the main inscription. The lower part of the sheet is decorated with Scythian painting.

In the centre of the left-hand side of the sheet is a Scythian warrior in armour. He stands in a spear-throwing pose. He holds a shield in his left hand. The upper part of the sheet, in the right-hand corner, shows an ancient map depicting Sarmatian lands. To the left of the map are three horsemen. The sheet is mostly in white, gray, and blue. The exception is the central inscription on the sheet and the attributes around it in the gold colour.

The stamp is located in the central part of the sheet closer to the right margin. It is horizontally oriented and fits into the overall design of the sheet. The stamp is presented in black and white, except for the stamp name and coat of arms. The name is in blue, the trident is imprinted with foil. It should be noted that the inscription " Sarmatians " glows under an ultraviolet lamp. On the left of the stamp there are three horsemen in armor with spears. Two of them are directly on the stamp, and the third one is only an image and already on the margins of the sheet. To the right of them in the background is a nomadic way of life - a flock of sheep and carts with oxen.

The inscriptions are concentrated on the right side of the stamp. Below there is the name of the stamp in a stylized font "Sarmatians" and below it in a small size "CULTURAL EPOCHS OF UKRAINE" and very small initials of the authors. Above is the description "Nomadic Tribes of Sarmatians". The right edge has vertically oriented inscriptions "UKRAINE" and "UKRAINE 2022". According to the orientation of the stamp, the trident and the denomination are depicted.

envelope of the first day of Sarmatia, circulation of 1500 copies