Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia
The history of reindeer domestication is a critical topic in the study of human-animal relationships across Northern Eurasia. The Iamal-Nenets region of Arctic Siberia, now a global centre of reindeer pastoralism, has been the subject of much recent research on reindeer domestication. However, track...
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0959774320000414 2024-09-15T18:19:09+00:00 Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia Nomokonova, Tatiana Losey, Robert J. Fedorova, Natalia V. Gusev, Andrei V. Arzyutov, Dmitry V. 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959774320000414 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959774320000414 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Cambridge Archaeological Journal volume 31, issue 1, page 161-181 ISSN 0959-7743 1474-0540 journal-article 2020 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774320000414 2024-08-21T04:04:16Z The history of reindeer domestication is a critical topic in the study of human-animal relationships across Northern Eurasia. The Iamal-Nenets region of Arctic Siberia, now a global centre of reindeer pastoralism, has been the subject of much recent research on reindeer domestication. However, tracking the beginnings of reindeer domestication in this region and elsewhere in Eurasia has proved challenging. Archaeological imagery is an under-utilized source of information for exploring animal domestication. In this paper we explore the abundant reindeer imagery found at the Iron Age site of Ust’-Polui in Iamal, dating from ~260 bce to ce 140. While reindeer were hunted in Siberia long before the occupation of Ust’-Polui, portable reindeer imagery appears abruptly at this time period, co-occurring at the site with equipment thought to be for training transport reindeer. Training and working with transport reindeer required long-term engagement with specific animals that became well known and precious to their human keepers. Creating, utilizing and depositing the reindeer imagery objects at Ust’-Polui was a way of acknowledging critical new working relationships with specific domestic reindeer. Article in Journal/Newspaper nenets Siberia Cambridge University Press Cambridge Archaeological Journal 31 1 161 181 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
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English |
description |
The history of reindeer domestication is a critical topic in the study of human-animal relationships across Northern Eurasia. The Iamal-Nenets region of Arctic Siberia, now a global centre of reindeer pastoralism, has been the subject of much recent research on reindeer domestication. However, tracking the beginnings of reindeer domestication in this region and elsewhere in Eurasia has proved challenging. Archaeological imagery is an under-utilized source of information for exploring animal domestication. In this paper we explore the abundant reindeer imagery found at the Iron Age site of Ust’-Polui in Iamal, dating from ~260 bce to ce 140. While reindeer were hunted in Siberia long before the occupation of Ust’-Polui, portable reindeer imagery appears abruptly at this time period, co-occurring at the site with equipment thought to be for training transport reindeer. Training and working with transport reindeer required long-term engagement with specific animals that became well known and precious to their human keepers. Creating, utilizing and depositing the reindeer imagery objects at Ust’-Polui was a way of acknowledging critical new working relationships with specific domestic reindeer. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nomokonova, Tatiana Losey, Robert J. Fedorova, Natalia V. Gusev, Andrei V. Arzyutov, Dmitry V. |
spellingShingle |
Nomokonova, Tatiana Losey, Robert J. Fedorova, Natalia V. Gusev, Andrei V. Arzyutov, Dmitry V. Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
author_facet |
Nomokonova, Tatiana Losey, Robert J. Fedorova, Natalia V. Gusev, Andrei V. Arzyutov, Dmitry V. |
author_sort |
Nomokonova, Tatiana |
title |
Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
title_short |
Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
title_full |
Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
title_fullStr |
Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reindeer Imagery in the Making at Ust’-Polui in Arctic Siberia |
title_sort |
reindeer imagery in the making at ust’-polui in arctic siberia |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959774320000414 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959774320000414 |
genre |
nenets Siberia |
genre_facet |
nenets Siberia |
op_source |
Cambridge Archaeological Journal volume 31, issue 1, page 161-181 ISSN 0959-7743 1474-0540 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774320000414 |
container_title |
Cambridge Archaeological Journal |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
161 |
op_container_end_page |
181 |
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1810457234932498432 |