UKRAINIAN CULTURE: THE PAST, MODERN WAYS OF DEVELOPMENT IMAGES RELATED TO INITIATION RITES IN CAVE ART OF THE STONE AGE

Abstract

The purpose of the article: to consider the handprints of teenagers in Stone Age caves in relation to the accompanying images of the magical numbers of the lunar calendar and phytophagic (used in the magic of reproduction) as traces of initiation and to find out whether new ideas and concepts that arose as a result of progressive changes in the social development of society in the 40-35 millennium BC were reflected. in the names and religiophilosophical interpretations of the then-dominant zodiac signs of Libra, Virgo and Leo, in which at that time the conventional point of intersection of the ecliptic and the equator (the point of the spring equinox) passed.
The methodological basis of the research were the works by Zh. Bezvershuk, G.-H. Luquet, L.-R. Nougier, A. Stolyar, V. Kabo, Cl. Ruggles, O. Gurstein, M. Chmykhov. As a result of the study, it was found that the handprints of teenagers in many Stone Age caves are combined with rows of red discs (spots) grouped in the numerical rhythms of the lunar calendar, which was used by women in reproductive magic to determine the dates of conception and birth of a child. Near palm prints, there are also images of phytophages, which in the minds of primitive man were perceived as zoomorphic images of the male fertilizing potency
that gives the seeds of life. This unequivocally indicates that the handprints of teenagers were associated with initiation rites, the main purpose of which was to transfer teenagers from the asexual state of childhood to the status of fullfledged adult members of the collective, who were allowed to continue their lineage.
The rite of initiation appeared as a result of the transition from primitive herds to tribal communities, where relations
between members of clans and phratries were clearly regulated. New ideas and concepts that arose in the consciousness of
Paleolithic man in connection with significant progressive changes in the social development of primitive society were
reflected in the names and characteristics of the zodiac signs dominant at that time. The main principles and concepts of the
sign of Libra (40,850 3 38,700 BC) 3 balance (balanced opposition), agreement, harmony, order correspond to the regulation
of relations between two clans in dual-clan communities, the coordination of relations between their members, and the
establishment of norms of behaviour. The zodiac sign of Virgo, which dominated from 38,700 to 36,550 BC, emphasizes the
exclusive role of women in procreation. The sign of Leo, dominant from 36,550 to 34,400 BC, is associated with ideas about
supremacy, power, hierarchy, and subordination 3 especially relevant due to the formation of tribal communities. The idea of
power, which was affirmed in initiations, was embodied in the image of a lion. In the totemic religions of the world, initiation
rites often concluded with the so-called «lion's grip». The reflection of basic ideas and concepts in the characteristics of the
zodiac signs during the period of primitive history, when man did not know the zodiacal circle, indicates that this phenomenon
is the result not of human thought, but of the Higher Mind, a designation of the stages of the spiritual evolution of society.
The novelty of this research lies in the fact that, for the first time, handprints of teenagers on the walls of caves
have been examined as evidence of initiation rites, in which reproductive magic rites played an important role, aimed at
granting teenagers the status of full members of the community who can continue their lineage.
For the first time, new ideas and representations of primitive man, which arose as a result of the transition of society to a new level of social relations - the formation of dual-ancestral communities, were considered in the context of the hypothesis put forward in the works of scientists of the 20 3 21 st centuries and consists in the fact that the main ideas and representations of any historical period are reflected in the name and interpretation of the dominant zodiac sign in that period, in which, due to the phenomenon of precession, the conditional point of intersection of the ecliptic and the equator (the point of the vernal equinox) passes for 2150 years.
Practical significance. Theoretical conclusions can be used to further explore this issue, to teach the history of
art, history of world and national culture, when writing scientific works on the history of art.