Mezine
Swastika in Mezine | |
| Location | Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°48′57″N 33°4′12″E / 51.81583°N 33.07000°E |
| Official name | Стоянка «Мезинська» (Mezyn Dwelling) |
| Type | Archaeology |
| Reference no. | 807-Чр |
Mezine or Mezyn (Ukrainian: Мезин) is a place within the modern country of Ukraine which has the most artifact finds of Paleolithic culture origin. The Epigravettian site is located on a bank of the Desna River in Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion of Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine, near the village of Mezine. The settlement is best known for an archaeological find of a set of bracelets engraved with marks possibly representing calendar lunar-cycles. Also found near Mezine was the earliest known example of a swastika-like form, as part of a decorative object dated to 10,000 BCE. It was described (see references for illustrations) as an object carved from ivory mammoth tusks to resemble an:
Ice age Bird ... with Inscribed Swastikas...
The bird is understood as an inherently shamanistic animal, often being a symbol of the soul or of the spirit experienced in flight (from death).