Paleolithic art of the carpathian-dniester region

Based on archaeological fi nds from the Upper Paleolithic sites of the Carpathian-Dniester Region, Republic of Moldova (Molodova I, Brinzeni I, Cosăuţi, Mitoс Malul Galben, and Climăuţi II), compared with objects of portable art of other regions and with ethnological data, the origin of certain images and artistic canons is traced. A hierarchical organization of all elements of a portable work of art, paralleled by certain ritual practices, is relevant for the understanding of the early religious symbolism.