NEW RESEARCH OF EARLIEST ROCK ART IN MONGOLIAN ALTAI

Abstract

It has been considered for a long time that rock art discovered at open-air sites cannot be attributed to the Upper Paleolithic because such ancient petroglyphs could not resist the processes of erosion and eolation. After some significant open-air sites in Western Europe were reliably dated and attributed to the Upper Paleolithic, there is no doubt that open-air rock art of prehistoric period could persist, and what is discovered nowadays may well belong to that period. New research of the most ancient petroglyphs of the Tsagaan-Salaa and Baga-Oigur, located on the border with the Ukok plateau (Russia), helps to compare the petroglyphs discovered on the site with the previously known and new petroglyphs of archaic appearance, such as figures of mammoths, horses, bulls, rams, etc. The petroglyphs were examined using the methods of mapping, copying and traceological study where possible. The images of animals analyzed demonstrate similar traits with the petroglyphs of the Kalgutinsky Rudnik (on the Ukok plateau). According to our concept, this layer of petroglyphs is the most ancient for Altai and refers to the end of the Upper Paleolithic. Purpose. The field research on the border with the Ukok plateau (Russia) was held with the aim of obtaining comparative data on the most ancient petroglyphs of the Tsagaan-Salaa and Baga-Oigur, which are very similar to the figures of animals from the site of the Kalgutinsky Rudnik (on the Ukok plateau) in their style and the method of carving. We introduce materials of rock art of the earliest period on this territory and analyze similar traits in style and technology of carving petroglyphs on the border of Mongolian and Russian Altai. Results. We observe a great similarity between stylistic and technological characteristics of the earliest petroglyphs in Russian and Mongolian Altai discovered at the sites located as far as 20 km away. We discovered a series of figures made in the same specific technique of grinding and superficial pecking as some petroglyphs discovered recently at the site of Kalgutinsky Rudnik (on the Ukok plateau). The previously known data on the earliest rock art have been enriched with new engravings which obviously represent Pleistocene fauna, such as mammoths and rhinoceros, and some images of horses which have archaic appearance as well. Conclusion. Our results support the concept of academician A.P. Okladnikov on the Central-Asian province being the birthplace of prehistoric rock art of Upper Paleolithic and add new valuable arguments to the discussion on the issue.