VARIETIES OF LATE PALEOLITHIC WIND INSTRUMENTS IN PRIMITIVE MUSICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CULTURE OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to introduce into international scientific circulation wind instruments from the territory of Ukraine, analogues of which existed in the Paleolithic era in Europe, to systematize them according to the international classification of musical instruments by Hornbostel-Sachs, as well as to investigate the functions and semantic meaning
of individual varieties and their use in magical ritual practices.
Research methodology. The paper uses combined archaeological and organological research methods.
Results. As a result of a complex instrumental analysis, it was established that, according to their morphological features, the varieties of wind instruments found on the territory of Ukraine have analogues among the instruments of the Late Paleolithic era from other territories of Europe, as well as the traditional instruments of the peoples of the world. The semantic interpretation of the geometric ornament, as well as the material from which the flutes were made (bird bones, deer horns), made it possible to establish their gender distribution. Flutes made of bird bones belonged to women – guardians of the family, who were simultaneously «priestesses-shamans» who performed magical rites in order to preserve and protect the family collective. Instead, in many primitive cultures, the horn was a symbol of male power and played an important role in reproductive magical rites related to both the increase in the number of members of the community and animals, as the basis for the survival of primitive collectives. Deer horn flutes belonged to male shamans. Images of men in horned masks and animal skins are known from paintings in caves in France (Troy Frere) and in Ukraine (Balamutivska cave, Chernivtsi region).
Novelty. In the article, for the first time, a comprehensive systematic analysis of the varieties of Late Paleolithic wind instruments from the territory of Ukraine, their functions in magical rites, and gender distribution was carried out.
Practical significance. The paper materials can be used in research on the musical and instrumental culture of the ancient peoples of the world.