ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURINES FROM THE BEREZIVSKA HES SITE IN THE ODESA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2025.01.07Keywords:
Anthropomorphic figurines, Cucuteni A — Trypillia B1, Middle Southern Buh valley, museum collections.Abstract
The collection of anthropomorphic figurines from the Cucuteni A — Trypillia settlement of Berezivska HES in the Southern Buh River valley is publishing first in the paper. The collection, kept in the Odesa Archaeological Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, includes 21 anthropomorphic clay figurines and 1 bone figurine.
The Berezivska HES settlement was attributed to the Sabatynivka group of sites of the Cucuteni A — Trypillia B1 stage. According to the radiocarbon data, obtained at the Kyiv Laboratory, the settlement was dated to the 4610 ± 70 and 4565 ± 85 cal BCE. In recent years, AMS dating results have been obtained from laboratories in Bern (Switzerland), Poznan (Poland), and the laboratory of the Pennsylvania State University (USA). According to them, the settlement could have existed between 4361—3996 cal BCE.
Anthropomorphic figurines from the Berezivska HES have their characteristic features. The figurines are decorated with the incised ornament filled by white paste and ochre. The decoration includes the spiral elements and rhombuses. This combination of elements is common in collections from other Southern Buh River valley sites. Characteristic features such as elongated shoulder protrusions, a schematic head representation, and steatopygia (typical for Cucuteni A — Trypillia B1) are depicted. The lower part of the anthropomorphic plastic is marked with vertical inclusions. Most of the anthropomorphic figures are presented in an upright position. The described finds are mostly fragmented.
The morphology and decor of the plastics allow us to trace the similarity of materials from the Southern Buh River valley to the sites of the western area of the Cucuteni—Trypillia Dniester and Prut area. This indicates that the Berezivska HES is synchronous with the Cucuteni A3 settlements, which is consistent with the new AMS dating data.
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