Abstract forms and symbolism of the ornament in the Paleolithic art of Malta (The State Hermitage collections)

Abstract

The article continues the studies of the series of cult pendants and crafts from the Upper Paleolithic site of Malta, dated 23–19 kya. The article uses materials from the Malta collections of the State Hermitage Museum. The author considers rod-shaped crafts, buckles and pendants in the form of “eight” as a particular abstract form of Paleolithic art. Analyzing the art objects of Malta, the author classifies figurines and handicrafts as belonging to a stylized manner of depiction. Image stylization being one of the techniques of artistic abstraction is not an initial generalization and convention resulted from the peculiarities of our perception, but rather from a symbolic system of the mythological genre, revised and recorded by means of symbolic codes. A special role in symbolic symbols is given to ornamental elements those create separate structures of symbols and decorative compositions. Any selected ornamental elements (modules) in various combinations can carry different semantic loadings. In this respect it is important to analyze the use of ornamental patterns and their correlation with specific kinds of craft items and decorations. The author notes that the preservation of the material and traces of biogenic effects on objects during their staying in soil horizons (manganese dendrites, traces of plant roots an microorganisms) give a strong distortion of decorative elements.