Расписная амфора со сценами ритуальных танцев из позднетрипольского поселения у села Кирилень (район Сынжерей, Молдова)
Painted Amphora with Scenes of Ritual Dances from a Late Tripolian Settlement at Chirileni (Sângerei, Moldova)

Author(s): Veaceslav Bicbaev
Subject(s): History, Archaeology, Cultural history
Published by: Издательский дом Stratum, Университет «Высшая антропологическая школа»
Keywords: Tripolye CII; settlements of Chirileni type; painted amphora; anthropomorphic representations; ritual dance scenes
Summary/Abstract: The archaeological research on a multilayered late Tripolian settlement Chirileni III conducted by the author in 1988 revealed a kiln dated by the Chirileni time of CII stage of Cucuteni-Tripolian culture. The kiln contained a unique find, i. e. geometrically painted amphora with two scenes of female ritual dances. The objective of this article is a detailed publication of this find with extended description and analysis. The author suggests that the scenes could mean spring-summer rites of the Cucuteni-Tripolian agricultural calendar, related to important religious dates and accompanied by dances. The author maintains that the amphora and the dances depicted on it are connected with the cult of the Goddess of Animals — the local Artemis — a highly esteemed goddess among the Cucuteni-Tripolian bearers. The fact that this goddess played a very important role among the Cucuteni-Tripolian population is confirmed by its images on earlier painted ceramics, where she is depicted as a Great Goddess invested with a number of functions: the Goddess of Hunting and the Goddess-Patron of Animals, the Goddess of Earth and vegetal fertility, as well as the Goddess of Moon and moon calendar.

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