Bracelet blank

The bracelet blank is an unfinished product. Production of this kind of object was the following: at first, a fragment was cut out of the whole tusk, on which a round hole was outlined, then the outer edge was cut off. The cross section shows that the bracelet has slightly flattened shape. The bracelet blank has irregular round shape. It was intended to make it round by removing the excess layer of the tusk. Traces of the tool in use to make it round are visible on the surface. After that, the product was supposed to be ground with a fine abrasive, probably with sand with further final finishing – polishing. Finished products from the Mal’ta site have a very smooth surface. Based on the blank diameter dimension the bracelet was intended for adults. Bracelets, like other objects that nowadays have decorative function, in pre-historic times had also ritual significance. They could be talismans or amulets, could serve as distinctive signs indicating social affiliation, high status, kinship (family members, clan or other group of people) or special merits (the best hunter, the fastest runner, etc.).
This is a unique product of the Upper Paleolithic period in the territory of Northern Eurasia.