Inside the Dwelling: Clay Figurines of the Jägala Jõesuu V Stone Age Settlement Site (Estonia)

Sculpted clay figurines were widespread in Stone Age Europe. Theywere common in the hunter-gatherer communities in the territoriesof Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Western and NorthwesternRussia. In these territories they were mainly associated with theComb, Pitted and Pit-Comb Ware cultures, ca 4000–2000 yearscalBC. This paper examines clay sculptures from the Jägala JõesuuV Comb Ware culture settlement site in northern Estonia, where 91fragments of figurines were found, making it the most abundantdeposits of clay figurines and their fragments in the eastern Baltic.Among them, three different types of image were distinguished:one zoomorphic (harbour porpoise) and two anthropomorphic. Allthe figurines were fragmented intentionally in ancient times, asdetermined by microscopic and experimental research. Most of thefragments were situated in the filling of a pit-house, which indicatesthat the dwelling had a sacral as well as a habitational dimension.During the research process, Stone Age clay figurines from nine moreComb Ware culture sites of Estonia and Ingria were catalogued. Thecatalogue contains 13 previously published and 21 newly discoveredinstances and radiocarbon dates taken at the sites, some of whichare being published for the first time.