ARCHEOLOGY OF THE LOWER AMUR: INTERPRETATION OF THE MULTI-FIGURE IMAGE OF THE SIKACHI-ALYAN – MALYSHEVO PETROGLIFES

Abstract

In the lower reaches of the Amur, there are several archaeological sites with petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are located along the banks of the Amur channel along the villages of Sikachi-Alyan and Malyshevo. The article is devoted to the analysis of the symbolic content of a complex multi-figured composition on one of the stones. The first studies were carried out by A. P. Okladnikov. He did not study the symbolic content of the drawing. The author of the article offers his own concept of the symbolic content of the plot of the drawing. It consists in the formation among the ancient tribes of the fisherman of the Amur basin of ideas about the lower sphere of the model of the cosmos, about malevolent lower spirits that harm humans and need protection from them. The drawing on the stone served as an illustration for narrations about the history of the surrounding world during rituals and sacred acts.

Keywords

• archeology
• priamurye
• rock art
• petroglyphs
• sikachi-alyan
• multi-figured plot on stone
• mythology
• harmful spirits