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V.M. Dyakonov, V.A. Danilov (Yakutsk) – The Tangaralaakh Sanctuary – a Cult Complex of Ancient Inhabitants and Modern Hunters of the Olenyok Arctic Region

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Abstract

The article deals with the recent study of the Tangaralaakh sanctuary, which includes rock paintings and altars, which has long been revered by the inhabitants of the Olenyok Arctic region as the dwelling place of a deity or spirit-master of the area. The sanctuary is located in the middle reaches of the Olenyok River. Six groups of drawings made with red ocher were revealed on the petroglyphs. The anthropomorphic figures with shamanic attributes, masks-faces, zoomorphic images, rows of spots-dashes and grapheme signs interpreted as archaic pictographic inscriptions stand out. The style and iconography of the Tangaralaakh petroglyphs goes back to the extensive layer of taiga petroglyphs of the Neolithic, Paleometal and Middle Ages of the Middle Lena, Aldan and Olyokma with their smaller tributaries. The earliest zoomorphic images are located at a great height and most likely date back to the Neolithic. The anthropomorphic figures and masks with rows of dotted lines occupying the central position on the inscription most likely belong to the Paleometal Age. The grapheme signs belong to the layer of drawings of the Iron Age and the Middle Ages, although they could have been painted at a later time. Altars with ethnographic material and modern off erings related to the pagan beliefs of the Evenks and Yakuts, as well as the customs of local hunters, were found under the rock with the drawings.

Keywords

Yakutia, Olenyok, Tangaralaakh, sanctuary, petroglyphs, rock drawings, anthropomorphic images, shamans, signs-graphemes, pictography.

Viktor M. Dyakonov, Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Peoples Studies of the North of the Federal Research Center “Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Yakutsk, Russia; Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Vladislav A. Danilov, Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Peoples Studies of the North of the Federal Research Center “Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Yakutsk, Russia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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