Images of camels on a mammoth tusk from West Siberia

Abstract This study introduces the engravings on a mammoth tusk from the lower reaches of the Tom River in West Siberia. The tusk was found in 1988 during construction works and was later transferred to the Tomsk State University, but it remained almost unknown to specialists until now. Radiocarbon dating by AMS reported the age of the tusk as 13,100–13,005 Сal BP (95% confidence level). The surface of the tusk is engraved with images of two-humped camels arranged in two pairs. In addition, arrows and wounds within the contours of the animals can be seen. The comparative analysis of the stylistic features of the camel figures shows that they correspond to the age of the tusk itself, making them, at present, the oldest camel images in Asia. The discovery of the engravings in this region is consistent with the theory of mobile population groups moving to western Siberia from the periglacial steppe to the south in the Late Upper Paleolithic.