Two unique burials of the Odinov culture (early Bronze) were unearthed last year at the Ust-Tartas site in Novosibirsk region. Inside one of them researches found several dozen long beaks and skulls of large birds assembled into something looking like a collar, a head dress, or armour.
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| Although over 30 graves have been unearthed at the site only these two include such extraordinary findings [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
"Nothing of this kind was ever found as part of Odinov culture in all of Western Siberia" said researcher Lilia Kobeleva from Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography. "Why do we think this was a part of clothing? The beaks were assembled at the back of the skull, along the neck, as if it was a collar that protected the owner when he lived here."
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| The two burials were probably of shamans or priests of the Odinov culture [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
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| The skeleton of man discovered in Siberia surrounded by beaks and skulls of birds [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
Another theory is that the beaks - numbered between at least 30 and 50 - were a part of a ritual costume. The type of birds will be determined later by ornithologists, but likely they were cranes or herons. It is also not clear how the beaks were attached to each other, or to fabric, as the scientists haven’t found mounting holes.
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| The bird beak collar was removed en bloc and taken to the lab for examination [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
Months will be spent to separate and study the beaks. Like jewellers, Novosibirsk institute’s restorers will have to use the finest instruments and the smallest brushes in order to reveal the full wonder of this ancient creation.
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| In one of the graves researchers found a pair of bronze 'spectacles' next to the individual's skull [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
Close to the ‘BirdMan’ burial the team of archeologists found a double-layered grave with two children aged approximately 5 and 10 buried on top. Underneath them, separated with a wooden overlay, lay a skeleton of a grown-up man - and a treasure trove of artefacts.
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| In one of the burial researchers found a crescent-shaped stone pendant around the individual's waist [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
The most exciting item looked like a pair of spectacles, consisting of two bronze hemispheres and a bronze bridge. It lay right next to the man's skull. Traces of organic matter were found inside the hemispheres of the ‘spectacles’.
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| Aerial view of the excavation site [Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography/The Siberian Times] |
"These are unique items, we are very excited indeed to have found them," said Lidia Kobeleva. "Both men must have carried special roles in the society. I say so because we have been working on this site for a while and unearthed more than 30 burials. They all had interesting finds, but nothing we found earlier was as impressive as discoveries in these two graves. We suppose both men were some kind of priests."
Source: The Siberian Times [June 01, 2019]
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