Thursday 12 September 2024

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This cover from Russia depicts a complete set issued in 2024 celebrating the Petroglyphs of the White Sea and Lake Onega, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia, Republic of Karelia, listed in 2021. The World Heritage Site comprises 33 petroglyph sites in two clusters. The Lake Onega cluster, Pudozhsky District, has 22 petroglyph sites with over 1200 figures. They mostly depict birds, animals, half-human and half-animal figures, as well as geometric shapes possibly representing the moon and the sun. The cluster at the White Sea (Belomorsky District) has 11 sites with over 3400 figures, mostly representing hunting and sailing scenes, together with related equipment, as well as animal and human footprints. They were created 6 and 7 millennia ago and represent a glimpse into the lives of Neolithic cultures of Fennoscandia.