New art works made of ivory and bone animals from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Kostenki 11 (Russian Plain)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the context analysis, technological methods of manufacture and features of the art objects from the new collection of the osseous industry recently excavated at the Upper Palaeolithic site “ Kostenki-11”, Cultural Layer 1a, undertaken by I. V. Fedunin and A. E. Dudin (2014– 2018). These objects are several decorated hoes with a double-bevelled end, a bead made from a mammoth’s tusk and also stylized objects fashioned from pieces of animal long bone walls. All of them bear some traces of use-wear. We identified a number of technological procedures, employed during their manufacture, each of which lent them semantic significance.