Pages: 147-154

The World Tree is a universal image that embodies the picture of the world. It is almost ubiquitous, in the canonical form or in different versions, but always clearly recognizable. The image becomes more complex with time, spreading over huge spaces, manifesting itself in different cultures. Its origin lies much deeper than the Bronze Age as many believe. The present paper atempts to trace the chain connecting the earliest of the presently known images of the World Tree, found in the upper layer of the second complex of the Upper Palaeolithic site of Kostenki 1, with its representations in later epochs up to the historical time.

Keywords: World Tree, Upper Palaeolithic art, world view, Kostenki 1, mobile art, petroglyphs

Information about authors:

Maria Zheltova (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb, 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Mikhail Zheltov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Art Communications Group (ACG) pro. Obvodny Canal Emb., 84, Saint Petersburg, 196084, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]