Carved part of a dragon rider from a Kargaly diadem. The diadem is characteristic of Central Asian art of the 3rd century BC. e. - II century AD e. It was found during archaeological excavations in 1939 in the Mynoshakty tract (Kargaly Gorge) near the city of Alma-Ata. Along with the diadem, other gold objects were discovered, making up the so-called Kargaly treasure
"We don't know when fairy tales began or what their origin was, but they are especially prevalent among Indo-European speakers and in the cultures with which Indo-European came in contact on the steppes".
-Brian Hayden.
Arthur Rackham's illustration for The Old Woman in the Wood.