За един специфичен тип къснонеолитни мъжки антропоморфни фигури от долината на Струма

About a specific type of Late Neolithic male anthropomorphic figurines from the River Struma Valley

Abstract

A specific type of standing male anthropomorphic figurine appears in the Late Neolithic of the Struma valley. The figurines are small and schematically rendered. The current paper discusses examples found in Bersin (n=1), Mursalevo (Gerena locality, n=3) and Kocherinovo (Ganevi nivi locality, n=9).

All but one (a figurine from Kocherinovo) are fragmented. The figurines have stump-like, almost cylindrical or elongated, slightly conical shape with male genitals modelled in relief at the lower part of the body.

These finds have well defined territorial and chronological distribution. They are usually found in the area between the Zemen and the Belopol gorges in the Struma valley. Thus this region could be considered as a centre of the emergence and distribution of this type of male figurines.

Examples of schematically modelled standing male figurines have been found at other sites most of which are in the catchment basins of Struma and Vardar – Nikushtak, Lopate, Zelenikovo, Angeltsi, Dimitra, etc. The closest parallel in shape to the figurines discussed here is a male figure from Nikushtak.