Eight-membered ornament structures on Trypillia bowls and pots

Abstract

The origin of ornaments and their semantics is a problem that has not been sufficiently examined in modern science. The purpose of the study is to clarify the semantics of Trypillia ceramic ornaments using the structural method. The structures of bowl ornaments that are formed from eight symbols are examined. There are two types (A and B) of symbols in the structure. It is established that four characters A are interspersed with four characters B. The characteristic features of symbol A and symbol B are determined. It is hypothesised that the symbol A stands for gods, and the symbol B – goddesses. Eight-membered structures of ornaments on pots are examined. It is shown that they are also formed from four symbols of gods and four symbols of goddesses. The specifics of the formation of symbols of goddesses are traced. It is presented that in the ornament behind the symbols of the goddesses, in one case, one goddess is hidden in another – the three goddesses. It is believed that one goddess symbolises the Cosmos as a whole or the Moon, and the three goddesses embody the three main spheres of the Cosmos – the underworld, the sphere of life, and the sky or the three phases of the Moon. The study helped to establish the patterns of the formation of ornaments and form a hypothesis, according to which the symbols of ornaments hide the four gods and the four goddesses of Trypillia. Identification of the patterns of formation of Trypillian ornaments can serve as a key for delving into the semantics of ornaments of other archaic cultures and the semantics of traditional folk ornaments, in which the cult of the goddess can be traced