Museum complex

Sculptures of fish from the Baikal Region

IV Millennium BC
Neolithic
Serov Culture
Stone, bone (horn?)
18 х 5 cm, 31 х 9 cm, 12,3 х 2,9 cm
Receipt: random finds of the XIX century
Showcase 12

Stone sculptures of fish were very typical for the end of the Stone Age (Neolithic) of the Baikal region. Quite schematically they depict fish of larger breeds, such as burbot or taimen whose length could reach up to 1-2 meters. Eyes and mouth were the only details shown, there would be always several through holes - usually in the upper, but often in the lower part of the fish's body. Sometimes the second head of the fish would be located in place of the tail. Similar sculptures, but much smaller, were sometimes made of bone or horn. Perhaps, these were not of a utilitarian purpose (baits for catching fish of larger breeds, sinkers for fishing nets), but those were rather ritual items.

More information...

Stone sculptures are normally found in the burial inventory and occasionally - in the troves of stone products, which may also have had a funerary or sacred character. Probably, the ancient population of the Baikal region cherished with special respect Big fish of lake Baikal, the Lena and Angara Rivers, and those fish occupied a prominent place in the religious beliefs of that time.
Functional purpose: according to one hypothesis, these were fishing tools (lures and sinkers), according to another – objects of the ritual sphere, including those associated with funeral rites.
Notice of uniqueness: unique finds on the territory of the Baikal region, no more than a hundred sculptures, including their fragments were found so far.

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