The paper examines sculptural images of reindeer and bear heads from Bronze Age settlements in the Taiga Ob region. Images are united by a special detail of the eyes, defined as the opposition of the right and left. A similar contrast can be traced in a group of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic creatures, embodied in clay, graphics and metal, which date back to the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The materials indicate the existence of a special tradition in the visual arts of the population of this region.

Keywords: graphics, visual art, metal-plastic, right-left opposition, sculpture.

Introduction

The close connection of ancient societies with nature is reflected in many aspects of their culture. This unity is especially evident in visual art: it captures the reality surrounding a person and his ideas about his place in this world. It is no coincidence that drawings, sculptures and ornaments that carry the maximum informative load attract the closest attention of researchers. In this paper, sculptural images of animals found during excavations of the settlements of Nizyama VIII and Syroy Agan-1 in the taiga Ob region are considered. The appearance of ceramics and other accompanying equipment allows us to conclude that the monuments belong to different periods of the post-Seymian stage of the Bronze Age.

Description of finds

A full-length sculpture of a reindeer was found at the settlement of Nizyama VIII. It is located on the right root bank of the lower Ob River, on the territory of the Oktyabrsky district of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra of the Tyumen Region. In 1987-1988, the settlement was excavated by V. M. Morozov [1985, 1986]. Ceramic material of the monument attributed to the Lozva type (Koksharov, 1991, p. 98, Fig. 2, 50; 1993, pp. 12-13; 2006, pp. 53-54, Fig. 4, 38; Borzunov, 1992, p. 88], is an extraordinary complex: it includes single poorly profiled pots with monotonous comb patterns, comparable to Varpaul-type dishes of the Seiminsky (Andronovsky) time [Koksharov, 2011, p. 88; 2013, p. 140-143], as well as containers with impressions of stamps in the form of a wave and snake, characteristic of Sotnikovskaya, Lozvinsky and Barsovskaya ceramics [Viktorova, 1970, p. 256-258, tab. 1, 5, 6, 8 - 10; Sladkova, 2007, fig. 1, 25 - 29, 31 - 33; Glushkov and Zakhozhaya, 2000, figures 58-59; Chemyakin, 2008, Figures 35-37]. The collection contains a three-dimensional image of an animal that has been repeatedly published in scientific and popular scientific publications, but, as a rule, without a detailed description [Ugric Heritage..., 1994, pp. 74, 128, cat. No. 20; Morozov, 1995, fig. on p. 130; Koksharov, 2006, photo].

Figure sizes 99*38*24 mm is made of unevenly baked clay, in which mica spangles are noticeable (Figs. 1, 2). The product is unsatisfactory in safety: even in ancient times there were doctors-

page 77

Fig. 1. Figure of a reindeer from the settlement of Nizyama VIII.

2. Drawing of a reindeer sculpture from the settlement of Nizyama VIII in different projections.

the front and back left limbs, the left ear, and an unusually thick "tail" are affected. It is clearly seen that the stability of the sculpture was provided by widely spaced legs (Fig. 2, c). The function of an additional stop and at the same time a counterweight (?) the lost "tail" could also be used, otherwise it is difficult to explain the massiveness of the base of the latter.

The head of the animal gradually expands from the nose to the sloping forehead, triangular pressed (?) ear (Fig. 2, a) and neck (Fig. 2, c). If you look at the figure in profile, you can clearly see how artfully worked out the slightly hanging lower lip and the smooth curve of the lower jaw, clearly separated from the elongated oval neck in cross-section (Fig. 2, a, d). The mouth is not worked out. The hole in the place of the right eye, left over from a piece of twig or grass that got into the clay (?) and burned during firing, gives the impression that the ancient master depicted an animal with one eye intentionally (Fig. 2, a, b).

The transition from the neck to the back is decorated with a ledge, which can be interpreted as the withers. The back is slightly played up to the beginning of the "tail". When modeling, it was compressed with the fingers in such a way as to transfer the protruding spine (Fig. 2, b). This feature, as well as the elongated neck and pointed forward pointed muzzle emphasize the slenderness of the animal. The preserved hind leg is not bent or folded under the belly, which is very characteristic of numerous images of ungulates dating back to the Scythian period [Scythian Art, 1986, ill. 16, 20, 23; et al.]. However, it is not perpendicular to the body, but slightly turned under the belly, i.e. it is at a slight angle to the body. Such a mutual arrangement of the body and limbs can be explained by the master's desire to create in the canons that are familiar to him, or to convey the tension and alertness of an animal that is ready to rush away at any second, or to depict a stubborn animal that refuses to move forward (Fig. 2, a).

The author of the excavations of the settlement of Nizyama VIII believed that the sculpture "is based on a number of details (the shape of the ears, nose, torso as a whole)... it resembles a deer. The animal was sculpted by an ancient sculptor in a static pose, calm, peaceful" [Morozov, 1995, p. 23]. Indeed, it is impossible to disagree with the definition of the animal's species affiliation: the configuration and proportions of the head, body and limbs are given out in the figure of an ordinary representative of the fauna of these places - a reindeer. The image is rendered very realistically. In this way, the sculpture under consideration differs from the extremely schematic images of ungulates reproduced on the walls of West Siberian ceramic dishes of the Paleometallic and Iron Age (Kiryushin and Maloletko, 1979, Fig. 43; Metz, 1990, fig. 2; Stefanov and Morozov, 1992, figs. 2, 1, 4; Koksharov, 2004, il. 1, 8; Yakovlev and Terekhin, 1993, Fig. 1,5].

Analogs of the find from the settlement of Nizyama VIII in the Ob region are still unknown. The same relative position of the body and limbs, which meet at an angle under the animal's belly, is typical of the wooden sculpture of an elk found during excavations of the Gorbunovsky peat bog in the Middle Urals (Eding, 1940, p. 45, Table II). Unlike the Nizami figurine, it has marked eyes, there are pits in which ears (or horns) were attached; in addition, the animal relies on long straight limbs. The object is dated to the second half of the third-second millennium BC (Oborin and Chagin, 1988, p. 29).

A sculpture of a bear's head was found at the settlement of Raw Agan-1. It is located on the left bank of the Srednyaya Ob River, on the territory of the Nefteyugansk district of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra of the Tyumen Region. The monument was studied by the Nizhny Tagil archaeologist V. A. Arefyev, who attributed the object to the Atlym culture and dated it to the end of the Bronze Age [2002].

page 78

3. Sculptural image of a bear's head from the settlement of Raw Agan-1.

The find is a three-dimensional image of a bear's head. 24*19*19 mm, made of baked clay. Despite the miniature nature of the craft, the image can be classified as realistic - it almost perfectly conveys the most important morphological features of the taiga predator.

The muzzle of the beast is slanted from the tip of the nose to the lower jaw. The wide, massive cheekbones, slightly open mouth with hanging flaps, and slightly lowered lower lip are artfully rendered (Fig. 3, b). This indicates the observation and skill of the ancient sculptor, who knew the largest animal of the taiga perfectly. The bear, which is known for its excellent sense of smell, has mirror-like L-shaped nostrils made by indentations of a thin plate (Fig. 3, a). On the top of the head are widely spaced ears, differing in shape-one rounded, the other triangular-pointed. It is noteworthy that they are not alert, but pressed, which is generally not typical for an animal in a state of aggression. The eyes are not designed so elegantly, but attract attention by the unusual reproduction (Fig. 3, a). They are transmitted by depressions applied with a stick of triangular-elongated shape. If the right eye is "open" and shown as a vertically oriented indentation, then the left eye is "closed" (maybe "squinted"), it is modeled as a horizontal impression.

Discussion of published materials

The image from the settlement of Syroy Agan-1 bears an unmistakable resemblance to the sculptures of bear heads found at the Late Bronze Age settlement of Luchkino I, which is located in the lower reaches of the Irtysh River. Images of two of the four finds from this monument were published by I. G. Glushkov (1991, Figures 1-3). True, they are distinguished by extreme schematics, the species belonging of animals is given out only by the proportions of the heads, wide cheekbones and intended ears. According to I. G. Glushkov, only one product has worked out such details as the mouth and eyes [Ibid., p. 96]. Several stucco images of a bear were discovered during excavations of the Lower Kondinsky settlements of Chilimka I (head), VIII (head and animal figurine), XXI (head) [Glushkov and Zakhozhaya, 2000, pp. 192-194]. In terms of the appearance of ceramic dishes, the Chilim monuments belong to the post-Seimian period and are partly (?) synchronous with Nizam VIII. Unfortunately, the finds from the settlement of Chilimka I have not yet been published.

Information about a fragment of a bear sculpture found at the settlement of Barsova Gora I / 50 is contained in the article by Yu. P. Chemyakin [1996, p. 69, fig. 4, 2]. The size of the snout fragment is 23*13*12 mm. It cannot be ruled out that the find was part of a growth figure.

The amazing realism of the sculpture made of Raw Agan-1 distracts our attention from such an important feature as the animal's different eyes in the manner of transmission. At first glance, this may seem insignificant and can be explained, for example, by the usual carelessness of the master. However, the designation of the right and left eyes with vertically and horizontally oriented indentations, respectively, is marked on clay plastic from two more taiga monuments. We are talking about a ceramic figurine of a bear found by E. A. Vasiliev in a layer with Atlym ware of type II at the Sherkaly XIII settlement in the Lower Ob basin (materials not published), as well as a ceramic plaque with an anthropomorphic face (?) from the settlement of Barsova Gora SHOV in the Surgut Ob region (Chemyakin, 2008, Fig. 4]. Dating of the latter is difficult: the product can be attributed to both the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age [Ibid., p. 71].

In the context of these finds, we should also consider a deer figurine from the settlement of Nizyama VIII. Perhaps it is no coincidence that during the modeling process, a piece of organic material appeared at the location of the right eye. The ancient master could not help but know that after firing, a cavern will appear here, which will be perceived as the open right eye of an animal.

Observations made during the study of ceramic plasticity in the taiga Ob region suggest the existence of a tradition of depicting animal eyes, which was followed by the taiga population of Western Siberia in the post-Seimian period of the Bronze Age. Further research will allow us to find out how deep this tradition went in the past and how long it existed in the north of Western Siberia. The upper limit of its existence can be determined based on the analysis of numerous Iron Age metalplastics. The search in this direction is very promising, as evidenced even by a cursory inspection of the Kulay cult casting. Attention is drawn to the disguise published by Ya. A. Yakovlev [2007, pp. 29-33]. She's with unknown-

page 79

4. Metalplastics of the Iron Age. Options for contrasting the right and left eyes. 1-a random find from the taiga Ob-Irtysh region; 2-Kulay cult site; 3-Parabel cult site; 4-vicinity of the village. Rybinsk, Verkhneketsky district, Tomsk region; 5-a find from Napas (Kargasoksky district, Tomsk region).

It is located in the Ob-Irtysh taiga region and is kept in the collections of the Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk (Fig. 4, 1). The image shows the eyes in different ways: "Inside the oval of the right eye there is a short straight horizontal stroke-apparently, the pupil symbol. But the left eye is shown much more difficult - in addition to the horizontal stroke, there is a vertical arc to the brow line and a teardrop-shaped process under the lower eyelid. ...It is impossible to exclude the possibility of semantic filling of this physiognomic detail of the image" [Ibid., pp. 29-30]. Ya. A. Yakovlev introduces another interesting subject into scientific circulation - an anthropozoomorphic casting found in the vicinity of the village. Rybinsk, Verkhneketsky district, Tomsk region [2004, il. 1, 1]. In the character, the developed pupil of the right eye is discordant with the "empty" left (Figs. 4, 4). The detailed study of the eyes is also characteristic of the growth anthropomorphic figure from Napas (modern times). Kargasoksky district, Tomsk region; Fig. 4, 5). If the right eye is "open" and outlined with a roller, then the left eye is replaced by an oval-shaped protrusion without any hint of a pupil (Polos'mak and Shumakova, 1991, Fig. 9). A semantically complex image is embodied in a find from the Parabel cult site [Ibid., p. 54, fig. 27]. This is an anthropomorphic character with an "open" right eye and a "closed" (or missing?)left eye. 4, 3). The creature's hands are interpreted in an unusual way: they represent profile images of moose (?)heads. heads turned in opposite directions. One head, facing the muzzle to the right, with an" open "eye, while the other has a bump in place of the eye-a"pearl". Differences in eye transmission in profile images are probably also not accidental. This may be evidenced by another casting associated with the Kulay cult site [Ibid., p. 80, fig. 41]. The openwork plate shows two birds with their beaks turned towards each other, which, according to researchers, are sitting on the World Tree. The bird with its beak oriented to the right has an eye with a well-developed pupil, while the other has an oval-shaped roller (Figs. 4, 2).

The features noted in the objects of the Kulai period are important and, of course, not accidental. The main difference between ceramic sculpture and metalplastics is that the latter is a mirror copy of the corresponding molds. The masters of the Iron Age were well aware that at the stage of preparing the matrices, any errors in the transmission of details (right and left eyes) should be excluded, which could lead to a deviation from the pictorial canons accepted in this society.

Conclusion

The considered materials probably reflect special aspects of the worldview of the ancient population of the north of Western Siberia, which can be understood when referring to ethnographic sources and folklore of Siberian peoples. Attention to the image of the eyes is consistent with the idea of their magical power [Ivanov, 1987, p.306]. Thus, according to Nganasan beliefs, humans and animals live as long as their eyes are "alive" [Ibid.]. Ideas about the power of sight are quite common in the folklore of many peoples of the world. Such widespread and archaic oppositions as "light-darkness", "right-left", and "birth-death" are superimposed on them (Afanasyev, 1982, pp. 60-73). This topic is only outlined and needs more in-depth study.

page 80
List of literature

Aref'ev V. A. Ot zheleznogo veka do srednevekovya [From the Iron Age to the Middle Ages]. - 2002. - N 8. - p. 70-72.

Afanasyev A. N. The Tree of Life: Selected articles, Moscow: Sovremennik Publ., 1982, 464 p.

Borzunov V. A. Trans-Urals at the turn of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Yekaterinburg: Publishing House of the Ural State University, 1992, 189 p.

Viktorova V. D. Etapy razvitiya figurno-shtampovannoy ornamentatsii na sosudakh pamyatnikov basseyna r. Tavda [Stages of development of figurative-stamped ornamentation on vessels of monuments of the Tavda River basin]. Tomsk: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 1970, pp. 254-270.

Glushkov I. G. Luchkino I settlement-late bronze monument of the lower Irtysh river // Sources of ethnocultural history of Western Siberia. Tyumen: Publishing House of the Tyumen State Unta, 1991, pp. 93-103.

Glushkov I. G., Zakhozhaya T. M. Ceramics of the Late Bronze Age of the Lower Irtysh region. - Surgut: Ed. - izdat center Sur. state. Pedagogical Institute, 2000, 200 p.

Ivanov, V. V., Eye / / Myths of the Peoples of the World, Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1987, vol. 1, pp. 306-307.

Kiryushin Yu. F., Maloletko A.M. The Bronze Age of Vasyugan. Tomsk: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 1979, 183 p.

Koksharov S. F. Khronologiya pamyatnikov bronzovogo veka Chronology of Bronze Age monuments Kondy / / Voprosy arkheologii Urala [Issues of Archeology of the Urals]. Yekaterinburg: Publishing House of the Ural State University, 1991, issue 20, pp. 92-101.

Koksharov S. F. Eneolith and Bronze Age of the Konda River basin: abstract of the dissertation of the Candidate of Historical Sciences, Moscow, 1993, 23 p.

Koksharov S. F. Antropo - and zoomorphic images of the Bronze Age from Barsova Gora / / Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug in the mirror of the past. Tomsk; Khanty-Mansiysk: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 2004, issue 2, pp. 50-57.

Koksharov S. F. Sever Zapadnoy Sibiri v epokhu rannego metalla [The North of Western Siberia in the era of early Metal]. dokl. II Sev. archeol. the congress. September 24-30, 2006, Khanty-Mansiysk. Yekaterinburg; Khanty-Mansiysk: Char-roid Publ., 2006, pp. 41-67.

Koksharov S. F. Keramika polymyatskogo tipa poseleniya Geologicheskoe III (materialy raskopa IV) [Ceramics of the Polymyat type settlement Geologicheskoe III (materials of excavation IV)]. Practical Conference, Yekaterinburg, 2011, pp. 75-90.

Koksharov S. F. Fakty, komentarii, interpretatsii [Facts, comments, interpretations]. archaeology, anthropology, and ethnography. -2013. - N 2. - pp. 133-149. - Rec on the book: Satyga XVI: Seiminsko-Turbinsky burial ground in the taiga zone of Western Siberia. Yekaterinburg: Ur. rabochy Publ., 2011, 192 p. (in Russian).

Metz F. I. Novye izobrazheniya na kulayskoi keramike i ikh otnoshenie k kul'tovomu lityu [New images on Kulay ceramics and their relation to cult casting]. - practical conference. Omsk Pedagogical Institute, November 23-24, 1990-Omsk, 1990. - pp. 43-49.

Morozov V. M. Report on the study of monuments in the area of the village. Lowlands in the Oktyabrsky district and in the upper reaches of the river. Ess in the Sovetsky district of the Tyumen region in 1985 / / Archive of the Archeol Center. research. at the Institute of Humanities of the Ural Federal University. B. I. Yeltsin State University, F. P. D. 422.

Morozov V. M. Report on the study of monuments on the route of the Urengoy - Uzhgorod gas pipeline in the Oktyabrsky and Sovetsky districts of the Tyumen region in 1986. research. at the Institute of Humanities of the Ural Federal University. B. I. Yeltsin State University. F. P. D. 433.

Morozov V. M. Drevniye ludi Nizhni Obi [Ancient people of the Lower Ob]. Yekaterinburg: Volot Publ., 1995, pp. 5-27.

Oborin V. A., Chagin G. N. Peipsi antiquities of the Riphean. Perm animal style. Perm: Kn. izd-vo, 1988, 184 p.

Polos'mak N. V., Shumakova E. V. Essays on the semantics of Kulay art. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1991, 92 p. (in Russian)

Sladkova L. N. Lozva Culture of the Late Bronze Age of the Taiga Trans-Urals - Western Siberia. the second one.: materials of the scientific conference. (Yekaterinburg, November 19-22, 2007). - Yekaterinburg; Surgut, 2007. - pp. 164-167.

Stefanov V. I., Morozov V. M. Eneolithic monument in the basin of the Kazima River / / Problems of Finno-Ugric archeology of the Urals and Volga region. Syktyvkar: Publishing House of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1992, pp. 77-91.

Zykov A. P., Koksharov S. F., Terekhova N. V., Fedorova N. V. Ugric heritage (antiquities of Western Siberia from the collections of the Ural University). Yekaterinburg: Vneshtorgizdat Publ., 1994, 160 p.

Chemyakin Yu. P. Zhilishche epokhi pozdnoi bronzy v Surgutskom Priobye [Housing of the Late Bronze Age in the Surgut Ob region]. Tomsk: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 1996, pp. 64-76.

Chemyakin Yu. P. Barsova Gora: ocherki arkheologii Surgutskogo Ob'ya [Barsova Gora: essays on the archeology of the Surgut Ob region]. Antiquity. - Surgut; Omsk: Om. house of printing, 2008. - 224 p.

Eding D. N. Carved sculpture of the Urals, Moscow: GIM Publishing House, 1940, 104 p. (Tr.GIM; N X).

Yakovlev Ya. A. V kopilku uralo-sibirskoy khudozhestvennoi metalloplastiki zheleznogo veka [In the treasury of the Ural-Siberian artistic metalplastics of the Iron Age]. Tomsk; Khanty-Mansiysk: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 2004, issue 2, pp. 91-124.

Yakovlev Ya. A. Artistic metalplastics of the Iron Age of Western Siberia and the Urals (from the collections of the Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk): catalog. Khanty-Mansiysk: Aztek Publ., 2007, 172 p.

Yakovlev Ya. A., Terekhin S. A. Novye materialy po antropo - i zoomorfnoy grafiki na rannezheleznoy keramike Tomsko-Narymskogo Priob'ya [New materials on anthropo-and zoomorphic graphics on early iron ceramics of the Tomsk-Narym Ob region]. Problemy etnicheskoi istorii samoyediyskikh narodov: sb. dokl. nauch. konferentsii [Problems of Ethnic history of Samoyedic peoples: Collection of dokl. nauch.konferentsii], Omsk, 1993, part 1, pp. 67-73.

Scythian Art / B. Piotrovsky, L. Galanina, N. Grach. - L.: Aurora Art Pablishers, 1986. - 184 p.

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 11.02.14, in the final version-on 13.02.14.

page 81

Permanent link to this publication: