Poupées sur métapode de ruminant

Abstract

In the study of faunal remains, ruminants’ metapodia deserve more attention. Thanks to the continuity of the occupational sequence on the upper Congo River, which connects the Classic Kisalian period (9th-13th century) to present day Luba, and on the basis of ethnographic parallels, it has been possible to show that these bones were likely used as dolls. Based on the ethnographic examples from various areas in Africa, it appears that the bones may have been left in their original state, dressed or not, or altered by use or by being adorned. These dolls are used as toys as well as fertility figures for young females. Ethnography thus helps us to make sense of similar bones from Neolithic times in Europe and the Bronze Age in the Levant, and sheds light on ancient rituals and beliefs in various areas.

Keywords

• Neolithic
• Kisalian
• Luba
• dolls
• bone
• metapodial