A figurine fragment from the Linear Pottery culture site of Horiv (Rivnens’ka obl./UA)

Abstract

Figural finds are still extremely rare at the western and eastern peripheries of the distributional area of the Linear Pottery culture. A small fragment of an anthropomorphic figurine from the site of Horiv therefore yields central evidence for this find category. The most important feature of the fragment is the decoration on the back which is made up of a vertical incised line from which diagonal lines descend. This pattern is called the »fir branch« motif, and can be found on a number of figurines mainly from Lower Austria and Transdanubia, but also on those from other regions of Central Europe. The interpretation of this specific decoration is difficult, since there are no corresponding grave goods. Possibly, however, it represents skeletal elements, an indication of the figurines’ connections with rites of death rather than with fertility.