Artistic Wood Carving among the Bearers of the Pazyryk Culture in the Russian, Kazakh and Mongolian Altai: Common and Special

Purpose. Technical, technological and comparative cultural analyses of individual studied archaeological sites of the Scythian period of Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia have been carried out. The aim is to show the importance of artistic wood carving in the cultural space of nomadic peoples of Eurasia in the Early Iron Age.

Results. It has been revealed that the mounds of the Pazyryk culture at the burial grounds of Verkh-Kaljin in the Russian Altai, Berel in the Kazakh Altai and Olon-Kurin Gol in the Mongolian Altai have much in common. It was found in many details of the funeral rite: identical stone mounds; orientation and depth of rectangular grave pits; in many ways similar burial structures made of wood. The similarity is recorded in the position of the deceased on a wooden bed, with his head facing east. The identity of the accompanying inventory is expressed in sets of clothing and felt headdresses with sets of carved wooden ornaments, related types of weapons and many other wooden tableware sets. A special affinity is shown in the motifs of various horse and human ornaments made of wood, especially in artistic carvings. The absolute similarity was traced through a comprehensive technical, technological and cultural analysis of the ornaments of the horse's bridle of accompanying horses, the horse’s breastplates, and the wands of power of the supreme leaders. Their species diversity is dominated by various forms of vultures.

Conclusions. The main technological feature of artistic carving in the Pazyryk culture was that masters used a universal tool – a knife with a small, thin and very sharp blade. Other tools were of auxiliary importance. There was a steady tradition in the choice of material for making a particular type of item. Practically all wooden ornaments from burial complexes of the Pazyryk culture are made of Siberian cedar wood.

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