Zoomorphic clay plastic of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia of the early first millennium AD and Central Asian parallels

Fine clay plastic is an important archaeological source that carries information about the material and spiritual culture of the studied society. This article considers finds of zoomorphic clay plastics originating from the monuments of the beginning of the I millennium AD in Western Siberia and the Ob–Irtysh interfluve, in particular, in the context of studying similar-looking products from the Central Asian region. The source base of the study consists of 63 objects of zoomorphic clay plastics originating from the territory of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. They are divided according to the characteristic species characteristics of animals, namely, the structure of the trunk, head and decorative elements. The images of a horse, an elk, a ram (argali), a saiga, and indeterminate images are highlighted. The most common exterior of clay figurines was the image of a horse. This type of image is found in all the presented monuments and stands out for the characteristic and realistic manner of making the body of a horse. The context of the discovery of small clay plastic objects is analyzed, as a result of which the pattern of the location of artifacts is traced. Most of the statuettes were found in residential buildings (Potchevash settlement, Turunovka settlement-3, Kama settlement-4, Panovo settlement-2). In the buildings themselves, objects were found in the hearth or in the immediate vicinity of it. At the same time, there are actually no whole figures among the finds. The most characteristic manifestation of image destruction is the absence of limbs, head or tail. It has been established that the complex of objects of early medieval clay plastics of the Ob–Irtysh interfluve embodied a number of images widely found in works of ancient and modern traditional folk art. When analyzing the available zoomorphic figurines, we have identified significant similarities with similar products originating from the territory of Central Asian states. These products are similar in the manner and style of images, composition and material, degree of preservation and time of existence, fitting into the broad chronological framework of the beginning of the I millennium AD. In particular, the figurines of horses, despite their varying degrees of preservation, are made in a realistic manner with precise transmission of details, uniform modeling techniques. Probably, the traditions of imprinting the image of a horse in clay could be perceived by the Potchevash population in the context of the southern vector of trade (or other) interaction.