“Hoofed Carnivore” Image Carved on a Bone Spoon from the Sara Burial Ground, Eastern Orenburg Region1

A composite image of a “hoofed carnivore,” carved on a horn spoon from an early nomadic burial at Sara, Orenburg Province, is described. It combines the features of an ungulate and a carnivore - an open mouth with large canines and hoofed legs. Two interpretations, none of which is easy to substantiate, are discussed: either the carving represents a fantastic image or it is the artistic rendition of an actual animal - a musk deer. None of these versions is unambiguously supported by any animal images dating to the Scythian period. Nevertheless, there are reasons to believe that the image of a “hoofed carnivore” originated somewhere east of the Urals, possibly in the Altai or Tuva.