Denisovan Ancestry in East Eurasian and Native American Populations

14 November 2014

Dutch and North American mammoth forms both have remnants of eye pigment and sawtooth breaks to define the legs

Jan van Es find, Beegden, The Netherlands, interpreted as an elephant-like form in profile facing left

Ken Johnston illustration of areas of human modification to this piece

Adam Arkfeld find, Arkfeld site, #44FK732, Clear Brook, Virginia, interpreted as a mammoth-like form with pigment stained eye and sawtooth breaks to define the legs. 7cm.

Side 2 view of sawtooth stonework to define the legs of the Virginia mammoth sculpture

These two examples demonstrate how the animals were schematized into stone forms by early artists. The significant similarities here are the left profile views, the remnants of pigment applied to the stones to create eyes as well as the sawtooth breaks made to define the legs. These are very likely culturally moderated forms with consistency from north west Europe to North America.

Both the Beegden site in The Netherlands and the Arkfeld site in Virginia have produced many other figures invoking elephant/mammoth iconography so the context is strong for both of these interpretations.

No comments:

Post a Comment