New Data on the Rock Paintings of Eastern Pamir
L. V. Zotkina,
B. S. Bobomulloev,
A. K. Solodeynikov,
I. V. Abolonkova,
S. V. Shnayder,
N. N. Sayfuloev https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2022-21-3-60-72
Abstract
Purpose. Until recently, it was thought that colonization of the highlands of Pamir by humans had started in the early Holocene. But some recent investigations, especially dating of well-stratified archeological sites such as Istyk cave, demonstrate that humans appeared in the region in the late Pleistocene period. One of the important pieces of evidence of humankind's presence in an area all around the world is the rock art. Despite that there are no direct comparisons to rock art of East Pamir, V. A. Ranov considered rock art sites of Shakhty, Kurteke and Nayzatash belonging to the Stone Age.
Results. We started redocumenting known rock art sites, using our experience and new technological approaches, which was beyond reach for V. A. Ranov and other investigators of 20th century. Also, some new rock art locations were found in the same area, and they gave us quite different graphical representations than those that were discovered in the middle of 20th century. One of the most urgent problems to solve for us is finding parallels to zoomorphic depictions and to the non-figurative ones in nearby regions and in other areas of rock art distribution. And still, we obviously know just a few samples of rock art varieties that existed in the East Pamir. Some of them were ruined due to natural factors, some of them could still be waiting to be discovered.
Conclusion. So far, we are just in the beginning of the next stage of investigation of the East Pamir rock art and archeological remains as evidence of human presence in the region.
Supporting agencies: The field works on the sites of Shakhty, Kurteke and the Zhukov’s cave was carried out with the support of FWZG- 2022-0008 “Central Asia in Ancientry: Stone Age archaeological cultures in a changing natural environment”; the documentation and post- processing of the rock art photographs were carried out with the support of the RFBR project no. 20-09-00387 “Rock art of the East Pamir: chronology, context and attribution”
About the Authors
L. V. Zotkina
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia – ZooSCAn, National Center of the Scientific Research – Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Lydia V. Zotkina, Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher
Novosibirsk
B. S. Bobomulloev
A. Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Bobomullo S. Bobomulloev, Senior Researcher
Dushanbe
A. K. Solodeynikov
Museum-reserve “Cave Shulgan-Tash”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexey K. Solodeynikov, Researcher
Ufa
I. V. Abolonkova
Kuzbass Museum-reserve “Tomskaya Pisanitsa”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Irina V. Abolonkova, Candidate of Sciences (History), Head of Department
Kemerovo
S. V. Shnayder
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia – ZooSCAn, National Center of the Scientific Research – Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Svetlana V. Shnaider, Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher
Novosibirsk
N. N. Sayfuloev
A. Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Nuritdin N. Sayfulloev, Candidate of Sciences (History), Head of the Department
Dushanbe
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Review
For citations:
Zotkina L.V., Bobomulloev B.S., Solodeynikov A.K., Abolonkova I.V., Shnayder S.V., Sayfuloev N.N. New Data on the Rock Paintings of Eastern Pamir. Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology. 2022;21(3):60-72. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2022-21-3-60-72
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