EARLY SYMBOLISM AND EARLY FORMS OF RELIGION OF THE PEOPLES OF THE LOWER AMUR REGION

The purpose of the article is, firstly, to determine the territorial and chronological boundaries of the formation of early symbolism and early forms of religion in the basin of the Lower Amur, and secondly, to explicate early beliefs and practices in the context of modern theories of religion. The territorial boundaries of early symbolism and early forms of religion are located in the Lower Amur region within the boundaries of the distribution of the Osipovskaya and Mariinskaya archaeological cultures. These cultures belong to the Early Neolithic and are located in chronological intervals of 13,000-10,000 years ago ( Osipovskaya culture ) and 10,000-9,000 years ago ( Mariinskaya culture ). The oldest beliefs and practices archaeologically recorded in the Lower Amur region are the gender cult, zoolatry and thanatology. The gender cult is represented by its male and female varieties. Zoolatry is manifested primarily in the forms of bear cult, ichthyolatria (worship of fish) and ornitholatria (worship of birds). Thanatology reveals itself in thanatocracies - the funeral practice of inhumation of the body with the ritual use of fire and buried objects. Gender cult and zoolatry are objectified in the objects of mobile art. Thanatology is objectified in the burial complex.