Anthropomorphic Wooden Sculpture as a Category of Pagan Antiquities of Medieval Novgorod (Chronology, Topography, Semantics)

Abstract

Anthropomorphic wooden sculpture of small forms is one of the categories of pagan antiquities of medieval Russia. The Novgorod collection of such finds is the most important one and allows for a comprehensive analysis, including morphological, stratigraphic and topographic studies. Thanks to the introduction of new finds into scientific discussion, the typology was clarified, and the main variants of images were considered. The chronology of anthropomorphic sculpture corresponds to the dating of other categories of pagan cult objects. The variety of types and variants falls on the pagan period and the first century after baptism. The exception is wooden finials, the use of which continues until the early 14th century. Topographic analysis shows that most of the finds are localized in structures, which indicates the use of small anthropomorphic sculptures as housing apotropaea. Perhaps the semantic meaning of this category of cult objects should be sought in the cults of “domestic” gods, such as Rod or Svarozhich, and a connection with the archaic traditions of house-building magic is not excluded.