Unique rock art dating back 4,000 years has been found in Siberia- Agency
Archaeologists in Russia's Khakassia Region have uncovered a rare piece of rock art created by the ancient Okunev culture, marking the first time such imagery found on a natural rock surface, according to Timofey Klyuchnikov, director of the Siberian Archaeological Research nonprofit organization, Rusian News Agency TASS reported.
"A previously unknown Okunev rock art panel has been discovered Sorsk Pillars site in Khakassia. Images of this type have never been found on rock surfaces before— known only from stone slabs recovered from burial sites." Klyuchnikov stated to TASS
The first petroglyphs at Sorsk Pillars were identified last year. The newly discovered panel features a mask-like human face painted in red ochre, closely resembling images unearthed at early Okunev burial grounds along the Uybat River. This resemblance allows researchers to date the artwork to the mid-third millennium BC.
The Okunev culture flourished in the Minusinsk Basin—an area that includes present-day Khakassia and southern parts of the Krasnoyarsk Region—around 4,000 years ago. Its rock art is known for distinctive anthropomorphic figures, depictions of cattle, bulls, and moose, as well as mythical creatures. One of the culture's most prominent archaeological monuments is the Shalabolino petroglyph site.
