GAMMA-SHAPED ARTIFACTS FROM WESTERN AND SOUTHERN SIBERIA, THE URALS, KAZAKHSTAN AND MONGOLIA

This article concentrates on the study of gamma-shaped stone and clay artifacts from Western and Southern Siberia, the Urals, Kazakhstan and Mongolia in which terms and criteria for a common description and comparison are proposed. Gamma-shaped artifacts associated with various cultures dating back to the late 3rd - early 2nd millennia BC are described and trends in their evolution are traced. It is concluded that gamma-shaped artifacts probably derive from pestles used in Eastern Central Asia. An analysis of use-wear, decoration, size, and material suggests that their principal function was plant grinding, although they may also have been used for grinding and crushing other substances for both domestic and ritual purposes. A structural and semiotic approach to the analysis of images decorating the gamma-shaped artifacts is also shown to assist in their interpretation.