Museum complex

Waterfowl birds’ figurines

Upper Paleolithic
Malta-Buret’ Culture
Mammoth tusk
75 х 29 х 16 mm; 147 х 30 х 12 mm; 72 х 22 х 8 mm
Receipt: M.M.Gerasimov’s excavations
Showcase 2

Birds of the Malta camp site made in small plastics are represented mainly by images of geese or swans. This is not a surprise because waterfowls were a common mass hunting prey and their bones are widespread at the site. Ancient man used bones for crafts, for example, thin but strong tubular limb bones were used to make needle boxes. All figures are highly stylized. Most have an elongated body with a long straight neck, short tail and small head that form a single line. The paws are closed into a small ring. It was most likely used to suspend or saw the figurine to something. Which is vividly proved by the polished surfaces. The wings are very short, as if pressed against the body. One of the birds looks very different. It obviously is not a flying bird, but rather a swimming bird with its head in the water. Its head is severely worn out and frayed. Between the paws is an oval through hole of about 3-4 mm in diameter for probably hanging the figurine or tying it to something.
Functional purpose: pendants - amulets, probably images of nature spirits.
Notice of uniqueness: images of birds in small plastics in the Stone Age are very rare, and for the Upper Paleolithic this is a unique phenomenon.

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