An Early Neolithic Burial with a Miniature Fish-Shaped Bait on the Shore of Lake Baikal

Abstract

We introduce finds from burial 3 at Khuzhir-Nuge-9 in the Olkhon area. Data on the location, above-ground burial structure (oval pavement ~3.5 m in diameter), grave (oval, 37 cm deep pit), funerary rite (inhumation on the right side with flexed legs, head oriented toward the north, burial strewn with ocher), and grave goods are provided. Clusters of tools and separate stone and bone artifacts, found in different parts of the grave, are described. Typical items include a robust bone tool, an end-scraper, microblades, and retouched and unretouched flakes made from jasper, chalcedony, flint, etc. The most expressive find is a miniature bait made from chert and shaped like a fish. The distribution area of stone figurines of fish in the Baikal area is outlined, their dates are provided, and opinions about their function are cited. Experts view these peculiar items as fishing baits. On the basis of the radiocarbon date of the burial and other sites on Lake Baikal shore, we conclude that such baits were used in this area from the Early Neolithic to the Middle Neolithic, i.e., in the 6th and 5th millennia BC.