Rock art and the material culture of Siberian and Central Asian shamanism

Abstract

In Siberia and Central Asia – the ‘homelands’ of shamanism – there is no ancient tradition of written language, and consequently no direct descriptive data on the lifestyle and belief systems of the prehistoric population. Valuable insights can be however gained from the comparison of rock art images with ethnographic material, which indicate that a shamanic world-view was fundamental for the complex symbolism of the Siberians. Indeed, some of the rock art panels can be understood solely in the context of shamanic ideas.

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