Book

The deer goddess of ancient Siberia: a study in the ecology of belief

E. J. Brill55Published In 1993 • Pages: xxii, 291

By: Jacobson, Esther.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Jacobson explores the symbolism found in the art of the Scytho-Siberian world. The image of the deer occurs throughout the Eurasian Steppe and was a central symbol to the Early Nomads and their mythic traditions. Jacobson explores the meaning behind the deer's image (and related images such as trees and birds) from its probable first occurrence in the Neolithic in Siberia to the Iron Age and how that image changed through space and time. Other authors' theories about the meaning behind the art of the Early Nomads are presented. Jacobson concludes that the deer image probably represented the Great Mother and her role in the cycle of death and rebirth.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Comparative evidence
Historical reconstruction
Sociocultural trends
Animal transport
Visual arts
Burial practices and funerals
General character of religion
Spirits and gods
Ethnozoology
Chronologies and culture sequences
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Early Nomad
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2002
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry ; 2000
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
2800 BP-2100 BP (8th to 1st century B.C.)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Early Nomads; China, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan
NotesAdditional notes
by Esther Jacobson
Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-262) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
92015500
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Asia, Central--Antiquities