Objects of Portable Art from a Bronze Age Cemetery at Tourist-2
Objects of Portable Art from a Bronze Age Cemetery at Tourist-2
DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.4.053-065
N.V. Basova1, A.V. Postnov1, A.L. Zaika2, and V.I. Molodin1, 3 1Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia 2Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, Lebedevoi 89, Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russia 3Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova 1, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
This article introduces an unusual complex of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic artifacts from a Bronze Age cemetery at the Tourist-2 settlement, situated in the center of Novosibirsk. Given their context, motifs, and style, they were apparently ritual artifacts. Human-like, animal-like, and bird-like figures limn mythological ideas. They are so unusual that we may speak of a separate style. Despite being very different, all the figurines have common features, both artistic and iconographic. They are generally rather realistic, showing similar features such as tattoo. Yet they are stylized and share certain conventions attesting to an established canon. All these characteristics, as well as the context, suggest that the representations belong to a single style that we tentatively refer to as “Krokhalevka” style— a distinct variety of Siberian native ritual art. In our view, this style is autochthonous, originating from local Neolithic art under a marked influence of adjacent Early and Middle Bronze Age cultures, such as Okunev, Karakol, Samus, Krotovo, and Odinovo. Judging by the motifs and manner, the “Krokhalevka” tradition might have affected Kulai art, especially repousse.
