Among the human depictions, "female images dominate and are nude, almost every one full-figured above and below," explained Guthrie, an emeritus professor in the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Guthrie believes most of their creators were young men. He suggests it is not too difficult to theorize what was on their minds in their free time.
"Think of it, Paleolithic people must have been surrounded by a wealth of other available images," said Guthrie.
"For example, the (art subject) repetition could have involved: babies, butterflies, frogs, song birds, small mammals, flowers, beautiful clothes, battle scenes, shields, clan symbols and so on. These are absent or virtually unknown in Paleolithic art."
In addition to animal bones and the flint figurines, the researchers found hundreds of carefully perforated arctic fox teeth that had either been strung into a necklace or placed in a pouch before disposal of the animal's remains. The researchers believe the teeth may have had some kind of ritualistic, spiritual meaning.
The teeth and bones were found preserved in an ice wedge, where they had remained frozen in time until their recent discovery.
