Ancient Doll And Mythical Animal – 4,500-Year-Old Toys Discovered In Siberia

AncientPages.com - Two remarkable ancient toys have been discovered in a child’s grave in Siberia. The Bronze Age artifacts from the Okunev culture, a southern Siberian ethnic group are believed to be some of the world’s oldest toys ever found.

The toys were found in the Itkol II burial ground in the Republic of Khakassia, in southern Siberia.

The doll had ‘carefully worked out facial features’ and was made of soapstone. Picture: IIMK RAS

The doll had ‘carefully worked out facial features’ and was made of soapstone. Picture: IIMK RAS

According to archeologist Dr Andrey Polyakov, from the Institute of History of Material Culture in St Petersburg, the ancient doll had ‘carefully worked out facial features’ and was made of soapstone - a soft rock made mostly of talc. Its head measures just a couple of inches in height.

The mythical animal is made from antler or horn. It is unknown what kind of animal it originally represented and it’s possibly it is a mythical creature.

Both toys were made of organic material and over time worn away.

The toy animal head is made from antler or horn. Picture: IIMK RAS

The toy animal head is made from antler or horn. Picture: IIMK RAS

The finds were made in the grave of a ‘common child’ - not an elite burial, Dr Polyakov said.

As Ancient Pages reported in 2016, the mysterious ancient Okunev culture is believed to have link to Native Americans.

According to some experts, it was ancestors of the Okunevs who populated America, evidently using primitive boats to venture to the ice-covered Beringia land bridge some 12,600 years ago.

The Okunev Steles - anthropomorphous stone columns several meters tall - are the most widely known monument attributed to this culture. Pictures: Boris Dolinin, Elena Sibiryakova

The Okunev Steles – anthropomorphous stone columns several meters tall – are the most widely known monument attributed to this culture. Pictures: Boris Dolinin, Elena Sibiryakova

See also:

Ancient Unsolved Mysteries Of Siberia – A Place Full Of Secrets

The mysterious ancient culture was ‘unparalleled’ in Siberia in terms of its artistic richness and diversity.

There is still much more to be learned about the mysterious ancient Okunev Culture and future findings will undoubtedly shed more light on the lives and customs of these ancient people.

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