Semantics of the Main Scene of Huashan Rock-Paintings (Guangxi-Zhuang Autonomous Region, China)

Abstract

The article presents the authors’ interpretation of semantics of the main plot presented in the Huashan rock-paintings (Guangxi-Zhuang autonomous region), the largest site of rock-art in China. This «main plot» comprises of an anthropomorphic figure depicted in the «frog’s position», with legs set aside and palms turned up, trampling an animal, as a rule, in the company of other adorant figures. Many analogies of this image were traced in rock-art of different regions of Eurasia (from the rocks of Mongolian Altai - up to the mountains of Armenia); they obviously had a typological character. Figures of adorants indicate the basic, quiet ancient cosmo-genetic myth about division of Heaven from Earth. However, the species definition of the animal on which the anthropomorphic character sets foot makes it possible to define the semantics of the entire plot. Careful visual investigation of the pictures obtained by the authors during their visit to the Huashan rock-paintings in 2018 allows to determine the zoomorphic character as that of a dog and to connect the plot with mythology of the Zhuang people. A dog played a very important role in the ritual life of the Zhuangs whose direct ancestors created the picture gallery of Huashan. According to local myths, a dog also acted as «a wonderful assistant» to the thunder deity (Lei-gong). This interpretation is based also on the pictures of the upper part (tympanum) of bronze drums with a star ornament in the center given in one complex with the main plot as the drums were treated as one of the attributes of the thunder deity. From an archaeological point of view, depictions of bronze drums connect the creators of Huashan paintings with the Dongshong-Dian civilization - a complex multi-ethnical community which dominated in South China and North Vietnam in the Early Iron age (approximately VIII century BC - III century AD).