Existence of the Eastern Zodiac dates back centuries, maintaining a close similarity to the Western astrological calendar. The word zodiac, loosely meaning a ‘circle of animals’ is based on the lunar calendar year and broken up into twelve-part cycles. The ancient nomadic tribes of the first millennium believed these cyclical rotations to be based on the elliptical patterns of the sun, therefore directly affecting the seasons, agriculture and animal life cycles.
Dashi Namdakov’s Zodiac sculptures are based on the twelve-year animal calendar developed by his Turkic and Mongolian ancestors. The twelve animals represented are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram (sometimes called a Goat), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar (sometimes called a Pig), and each animal serves to symbolically embody a unique combination of human characteristics; both the virtues and the vices of mankind.
