Dragons in the «Oxus Civilization»
Antonova Elena V.
Fantastic dragon images appear in various cultures, usually in societies and states with a well developed structure. They are to be seen on the Bronze Age monuments of the «Oxus civiliza- tion» as well, serpents were depicted with wings and some elements characteristic of beasts of prey; dragons' body (sometimes scaly) and head was that of a predator, and they would have a beard and a horn. These creatures were connected with goddesses, and serpents with gods. Dragon-like creatures belonged to the chthonic, earthly world, they do not seem to have astral associations. Symbolically, they must be connected with seasons. The great variety of such im- ages in the «Oxus civilization» can be explained by the heterogeneous character of this culture, its long existence and various cultural connections.