| Tolbaga | |
| Map Type: | Continental Asia#Russia |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | 51.5°N 108.5°W |
| Built: | 34,000–27,000 BP cal |
| Epochs: | Paleolithic |
Tolbaga is an archaeological site, located south of Lake Baikal, on the right bank of the Khilok river.[1] It was excavated by Okladnikov circa 1970. The site is dated from bones to 34,860 ± 2100 BP and 27,210 ± 300 BP.[1]
The site is especially known for a three-dimensional naturalistic sculpture of an animal head (probably a bear), carved from the projection of the second vertebra of a woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). The sculpture has microscopic toolmarks, indicating that it was made with stone tools.[1] The date of the sculpture is probably 34,860 ± 2100 BP, which who place it among the earliest known example of naturalistic sculpture in the world.[1]