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Aleksashenko N. Ust-Polui and Ekven: Two Traditions in Bone Carving

Natalia Aleksashenko
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0003-3317-9978
E-mail: nataleksash@kunstkamera.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The article compares two traditions of bone and ivory processing represented in two archaeological collections from the MAE RAS (Kunstkamera). These collections were obtained as a result of excavations in the Ust-Polui sanctuary and Ekven cemetery. Both archaeological sites are located in the Arctic zone and include many bone artifacts. The author has examined these objects involving different methods, including typological, traceological, and experimental ones, and looked into the planigraphy of the findings. She studied finished and semi-finished bone items, residuals and tools for bone processing. In Polui, carved artifacts were made of reindeer antler and bone, while in Ekven the major material was walrus tusk. Analysis of artifacts surfaces has revealed traces of splitting, cutting, planing, drilling, and grinding. Most of operations were conducted by means of iron knives in Ust-Polui and by stone gravers in Ekven. Knives were also used for decoration and creating zoomorphic images on Ust-Polui objects. Many handles with narrow grooves found in the Ekven cemetery belonged to iron engraving tools that were intended for ornamentation and other kinds of fine work. Comparison of the two collections demonstrates high levels of bone and ivory processing in both cases and reveals differences in the tools used and ways of cutting.

 

KEYWORDS: Ust-Polui, Ekven cemetery, bone and ivory processing, technologies, tools

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2021-2(12)-85-94
УДК 903.01

 

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