Abstract:
As a gendered perspective has emerged in wider society over the past 50 or so years, a greater interest in gender- and age-related research in science has similarly occurred, including for the study of the past (archaeology) and the present (ethnology). Here, I focus on the Mal\'ta collection - a well-known Ice Age site located in Siberia. In particular, I focus on several mammoth ivory anthropomorphic sculptures which appear to reflect stages of human childhood, including infancy and the teenage years. These sculptures feature realistic elements, including proportions of each phase of childhood consistent with anthropometric data, details of clothing and accessories, and special benchmarks of puberty. Based on these figurines, I propose a developmental framework of the Paleolithic child from this society. Additionally, I discuss the burial of two children also found at Mal\'ta, which provides additional insights into childhood within this Ice Age society. Particular attention is given to artefacts such as the \'hanging birds\' and animal figurines with a flat base for standing. These artefacts could be interpreted as toys, as amulets for a child\'s cradle or as family heirlooms, with analogies to such objects preserved in the cultures of the aboriginal population of Siberia and the Far North.
摘要:
在过去50年左右的时间里,随着性别观点在更广泛的社会中出现,同样,人们对与性别和年龄相关的科学研究产生了更大的兴趣,包括对过去(考古学)和现在(民族学)的研究。这里,我专注于Mal\'ta系列-位于西伯利亚的著名冰河时代遗址。特别是,我专注于几件猛犸象的象牙拟人化雕塑,它们似乎反映了人类童年的各个阶段,包括婴儿期和青少年时期。这些雕塑具有逼真的元素,包括与人体测量数据一致的儿童期每个阶段的比例,服装和配饰的细节,和青春期的特殊基准。基于这些小雕像,我提出了这个社会的旧石器时代儿童的发展框架。此外,我讨论了在Mal\'ta发现的两个孩子的葬礼,在这个冰河时代社会中提供了对童年的更多见解。特别注意人工制品,例如“悬挂的鸟类”和带有平坦底座的动物雕像。这些文物可以解释为玩具,作为儿童摇篮的护身符或传家宝,与西伯利亚和远北原住民文化中保存的此类物品进行类比。