V. D. KUBAREV, V. I. ZABELINV. D. Kubarev 1, V. I. Zabelin 2 1 Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia E-mail: vd@online.nsk.su 2 Tuva Institute of Integrated Natural Resources Development SB RAS 17 Internatsionalnaya St., Kyzyl, 667007, Russia E-mail: oktargj@tuva.ru Introduction It is well known that any images - pictorial, graphic or sculptural-are created in the likeness of objects or phenomena that exist in nature. Without dwelling in detail on the role of art in primitive society, we will emphasize only its versatility and important cognitive significance. The ancient hunter's desire to portray an animal was ultimately aimed at mastering it. This process, according to V. B. Mirimanov [1973], was not an actual, but an "ideal" mastery not of the animal itself, but of its image, i.e., the process of comprehension and recognition. Its essence was very precisely defined by A. Hauser: "When a Paleolithic artist drew an animal on a rock, he was drawing a real animal. For him, the world of fiction and art was not yet an independent domain, separated from empirically perceived reality. He did not yet contrast or separate these spheres, but saw in one a direct continuation of the other " (cit. by: [Ibid., p. 73]). It is quite natural that animalistic motifs predominated among the images. The ancient artist captured mainly commercial animals that provided man with the necessary food, clothing, material for tools, etc.D. Some of the most archaic drawings, dating back many thousands of years, are petroglyphs (embossing, grinding, engraving, etc.) and scribbles (silhouette, contour, or combined paintings). on rocks, individual blocks, walls of grottoes and caves. Ancient man, who lived in a certain geographical environment, reflected the real world of the animals around him. So, in Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden), images of moose, deer, bears, whales, and seals predominate; in Central Europe (France, Spain) ... Читать далее