DWUSTRONNA KAMIENNA STELA ANTROPOMORFICZNA Z EL’ TARKACZ (REJON UST’-DŻEGUTYŃSKI, REPUBLIKA KARACZAJSKO-CZERKIESKA)

In the village El’ Tarkach, in the Northwestern Caucasus, a unique artefact of monumental stone art has been preserved. The stela was made in the Polovtsian environment, around the end of the 11th – beginning of the 12th century. Its completion and function were related to complex beliefs, combining ancestor worship, shamanism and cosmogony. The paper provides a description and commentary regarding the dating and style of the artefact.