Anthropomorphic figure

myminifactory

The showcased specimen of repoussé originates from a collection known as the "Rybinsk Discoveries I." As of now, this collection comprises four remarkable objects, each boasting an extraordinary story of discovery. Each find represents anthropomorphic figures crafted in a similar style and attributed to the Kulai culture of the early Iron Age based on several distinguishing characteristics. In 1977, students conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Verkhneketsky District were presented with three "bronze idols" by locals. According to these individuals, the idols had been unearthed while digging a well on the southern outskirts of the village of Rybinsk, near the parking garages of a vocational college. The same year saw archaeologist Vladimir Ryabtsev explore the area, who confirmed that the bronze sculptures were discovered at the edge of the right terrace of the small river Suyga. Although he failed to find any remnants of an ancient monument, some ceramic fragments were found near the location of the bronze idols, one of which dated back to the early Iron Age. The history of Rybinsk anthropomorphs didn't conclude there; a local uncovered the fourth bronze figure in the same area, buried in an old dump, twenty years later. A subsequent archaeological survey yielded no new findings, leaving unresolved the question about the type of monument (a place of worship or an early Iron Age burial site). This specimen is one of the three objects discovered in the 1970s. The discovery showcases an outstanding example of anthropomorphic repoussé works created through flat casting with the use of relief elements. The raw edge of the figure displays a characteristic feature of early Kulai repoussé reliefs, referred to as "openwork." The composition depicts a front-view waist-up image of a man resting on a massive sprue perceived as a support base for vertical placement. The head is represented by a vertically stretched oval truncated at mid-forehead. The face contours are emphasized with subtle bulges and symmetrical loop-shaped ears appearing from behind. The upper part of the head is crowned by a band divided into eleven sectors by parallel vertical lines, which remains without universally accepted interpretation. One version suggests that ancient craftsmen attempted to depict a protective cap (helmet?) with forehead metal plaques. In this scenario, the straight vertical nose may be seen as the nasal, while eye and mouth ovals could represent the holes of a half-helmet. However, there is another theory suggesting that the band with vertical grooves on the forehead represents not headwear but a diadem. Such diadems have been frequently found in Kulai places of worship. Additionally, similar metal diadems or headbands adorned the skulls of deceased individuals discovered at several Kulai burial sites known to date. Ancient craftsmen mainly focused on the head and allocated significantly less time for the body. The hands are well-sculpted, ending in fingers grasping unidentified objects angled towards the figure's body. The context of discovery and the composition of the collection allow researchers to interpret Rybinsk discoveries as accessories related to a farewell (purification) rite. In this context, the presented figure doesn't merely depict a man—it represents a deceased individual. This conclusion is largely supported by the diadem associated with a ritual and mythological complex rooted in ideas about the Cosmos and the Underworld. Such rites often centered around eliminating evil (death), which was frequently embodied in anthropomorphic dolls. These dolls would be burned, drowned, or buried, etc. This object was scanned by The Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research in Archaeology "Artefact" of the National Research Tomsk State University