Stone sculpture “The Supplicant”

myminifactory

The relic was unearthed at the very edge of rural locality Samus IV, where it had been deliberately interred face down. It's worth noting that Samus IV is one of the most distinctive archaeological landmarks in Northern Eurasia. Its modern interpretation centers on the model of an intertribal center visited by bearers of diverse cultural traditions. The cultural stratum of the site contains multiple signs of ritual activities, unique ceremonial ceramic tableware and anthropomorphic sculptures in various styles.The exhibited artwork is a sculpture in the round crafted from soft stone (agalmatolite). The small statue depicts a naked man in a typical supplicant position: kneeling, his arms pressed tightly against his body, his back curved. The small components were carefully carved with a tool bit and then polished to perfection. In ancient times, the artifact was used as a pendant, as evidenced by the hole beneath the man's knees. The ritual character of the position, the sense of supplication and obedience allow for naming the sculpture "The Supplicant from Samus IV".“The Supplicant” was created by a skilled craftsman who wasn't perhaps too heavily influenced by traditions. Overall, the statue is proportionate, and the body is perceived realistically. The wide and short face gives way to narrow, slouched shoulders and has meticulously crafted details: a sculptured short, moderately prominent nose, slanting or squinty eyes, a firm chin underlined by thin, tightly pursed lips. The chest and lower abdomen show a tattoo (?), whose graphical intricacy makes the artwork even more refined and accurate. However, it doesn't appear to be a lifelike portrait; the sculptor was more interested in the character's position than his physiognomic characteristics.“The Supplicant” differs from all previous Samus IV discoveries with its artistic distinctiveness. The Mongoloid facial features and the material of the sculpture (the nearest agalmatolite deposits are known to have been in Tuva and at the foothills of Kuznetsk Alatau) indicate that there is a discernible south-eastern component to Samus cultural phenomenon.This object was scanned by The Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research in Archaeology "Artefact" of the National Research Tomsk State University