3 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered. The item was a four-inch (10-centimeter) bronze humanlike dancing figurine sculpted in a way that seemed to depict a figure in motion.

Archaeology specialist Andrey Borodovsky identified the find as “one of the most significant ever made” ever found in the area.

Professor Andrey Borodovsky, an archaeologist with the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Siberian branch, told The Siberian Times that the statue depicts an Indian holy dancer and was most likely made about the year 100 BC in Northern India. Given that Novosibirsk and India are separated by 2,500 to 3,000 miles (4,000 to 5,000 kilometers) of rough and sometimes mountainous terrain, the discovery of such a statue on Siberian soil was very surprising.

The little dancer was most likely left on the riverbank as a gift to the water spirits to ensure a peaceful crossing. It’s also possible that it passed through many hands on the way from India to Siberia.

The figurine was discovered by a person (presumably a construction worker) who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being. Negotiations are pending, but the discoverer has so far refused to hand over the specimen to a museum for further research. He was aware of Borodovsky’s work and prestige, so he decided to allow Borodovsky to study the piece, photograph it, and videos it.

In this image you can see how small the dancing figurine is compared to a human hand. ( The Siberian Times )
In this image you can see how small the dancing figurine is compared to a human hand. ( The Siberian Times )

 The Enigmatic Indian Dancer

The dancing man is seen leaned right, his broken arms lifted in the air and his head turned to the left and forward, as though the sculptor was attempting to depict a moment of the dancer twirling counter-clockwise, maybe during a whirling dance. This could have been one of those ecstatic dances used by priests or worshippers in Oriental practice to bond with a god.

The little dancer was portrayed wearing a spacious shirt draping over his shoulder, which could have been made from thin silk, a shirt-like hem, and a long belt.

‘I see the tilt of the head as something similar to what Semazen dervishes did when they danced. They tilted heads to the left to put pressure on the carotid artery, which then led to them getting into a trance while whirling. The man also has a dot on the forehead, which we see in golden toreutics of Afghanistan,’ said Dr. Borodovsky.

He thinks the dancer was made about 2,100 years ago in Northern India, and that it was part of a larger piece, probably a circular ceremonial table with many dancers mounted along its sides.

Related Articles

2,000-year-old Celtic hoard of gold ‘rainbow cups’ discovered in northeastern Germany

13 January 2022

13 January 2022

Archaeologists have found an ancient Celtic coins treasure consisting of 41 gold coins in a field in Brandenburg, a state...

Archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old Roman road in Cluj-Napoca in northwest Romania

23 January 2023

23 January 2023

Archaeologists from the National Museum of the History of Transylvania have discovered a well-preserved 2,000-year-old Roman road in the city...

Remains of 240 people found beneath Ocky White department store in Wales

13 October 2022

13 October 2022

Archaeologists found skeletal remains of over more than 240 people, from beneath a former department store in Pembrokeshire in Wales,...

Queen Kubaba: Some 4,500 years ago, a woman rose to power and reigned over one of the largest civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia

28 December 2023

28 December 2023

Is it possible to say who was the first queen in history? Given the size and diversity of human civilization,...

High school student discovered a 1500-year-old ancient Magical Mirror

9 August 2023

9 August 2023

 A High school student discovered an ancient “magical mirror” meant to ward off the evil eye in an archaeological excavation...

Archaeologists in the Tangier Peninsula Discovered Three Ancient Cemeteries, Including a Stone Burial Dating to Around 4,000 Years Ago

17 May 2025

17 May 2025

A significant archaeological discovery in northern Morocco’s Tangier Peninsula, situated just south of the Strait of Gibraltar, has led to...

Silk Road archaeological discoveries draw attention despite the pandemic

20 June 2021

20 June 2021

A report prepared by more than 30 global experts believes that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, archaeological discoveries related to the...

Archaeologists in eastern Newfoundland unearth the oldest English coin ever found in Canada

14 November 2021

14 November 2021

Archaeologists in eastern Newfoundland have unearthed a rare two-penny piece minted between 1493 and 1499 more than 520 years ago....

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an...

Scandinavia’s first farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population, according to a new study

9 February 2024

9 February 2024

Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a...

2,300-year-old Buddhist temple discovered in Pakistan

23 December 2021

23 December 2021

Remains of a 2300 years old Buddhist Temple have been discovered in Northwest Pakistan by a joint team of Pakistani...

1500-year-old Elite tombs were discovered vicinity of the ancient seaport of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt

22 May 2022

22 May 2022

Polish archaeologists have discovered a tomb complex near the ancient port of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt. Archaeologists from the University...

The Bronze Sacred Sanxingdui Tree Number 3 is Being Restored

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

According to the announcement of the Sanxingdui Museum, archaeologists have begun to assemble and restore the No. 3 bronze sacred...

A Gold Mourning Ring Found on The Isle of Man

21 April 2021

21 April 2021

The ring found with a metal detector on the Isle of Man in December 2020 will be exhibited in the...

Archaeologists unearth hidden tunnels under the 3,000-year-old temple complex

6 June 2022

6 June 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a system of hidden tunnels beneath the 3,000-year-old Chavín de Huántar temple complex in the Ancash Region...