Bison and Mammoth As the Main Objects of the Image in the Sculpture of Small Forms At the Late Paleolithic Settlement of Anetivka 2
Abstract
The purpose of the research paper is a comprehensive analysis of zoomorphic representations of the bison and the mammoth in the small-scale sculpture from Anetivka 2, including objects featuring combined images of both animals on a single blank, as well as so-called ‘paired’ sculptures found within the same accumulation. The main objectives are to characterize the morphological and stylistic features of the artefacts; to analyze the raw materials used and manufacturing techniques; to examine the spatial context of the finds; and to determine the possible functions and symbolic significance of the bison and mammoth images in the worldview of the Late Paleolithic population of the steppe Southern Buh region.
The scientific novelty of the study lies in the introduction of new materials of mobile zoomorphic sculpture from Anetivka 2 into scholarly circulation, in particular artefacts bearing simultaneous representations of a bison and a mammoth on a single object. For the first time, the technological features of their manufacture from various mineral raw materials (limonite, quartz, quartzite) are analyzed in detail, the individual ‘handwriting’ of the craftsmen is identified, and the contemporaneous coexistence of bison and mammoth images in the artistic tradition of the site is demonstrated. The results obtained make it possible to revise established assumptions about a direct correlation between depicted animals and the hunting specialization of Late Paleolithic groups.
The conclusions indicate that the images of the bison and the mammoth coexisted within the artistic tradition of Anetivka 2 and had a multifunctional character. Zoomorphic sculpture may have fulfilled cultic, symbolic, apotropaic, or communicative functions, reflecting a complex system of worldview concepts of Late Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. The materials from Anetivka 2 fill an important chronological and geographical gap in the study of prehistoric art of the steppe zone of the Northern Black Sea region and significantly expand our understanding of the spiritual culture of Late Paleolithic hunting communities.
Funding. The research reported in this paper was produced as part of the project ‘Systematization and Digitalization of the Archaeological Heritage of the Mykolaiv Region (Based on Materials from the Anetivka 2 Site, the Dykyi Sad Settlement, and the Borysthenes Polis)’ (0126U003132) with support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science.
Keywords: North-Western Black Sea region, Late Paleolithic, Anetivka 2, zoomorphic images, sculpture of small forms, mammoth, bison
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