PETROGLYPHS OF THE WESTERN SPURS OF THE ARKHARLY MOUNTAINS

Abstract

Archaeological research of the western spurs of the Arkharly Mountains allowed to collect materials on 20 clusters of petroglyphs of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Their main series is concentrated near the settlements and burial grounds, which allows including the petroglyphs in the structures of these archaeological complexes. Parts of the drawings were located on the traditional routes of cattle routes, which connect them with the economic activity of the ancient population. The most numerous group according to the number of subjects consists of hills with petroglyphs which can be attributed to the category of sanctuaries “under the open sky” of the micro district. The chronological range of drawings is from the Bronze Age to the New time. The content of clusters of petroglyphs are images of animals: goats, argali, deer, horses, camels, bulls, dogs and predators. In the Bronze Age there are compositions with maternity figures, hunting scenes and signs. Early Iron Age petroglyphs are distinguished by the traditions of the Scythian-Siberian animal style, where a striking image is the figure of a mother-parent shown in images of a goat with a baby goat, an argali with a lamb or a stag with a fawn. The leading subjects of early medieval petroglyphs are compositions with warrior-riders. Among the drawings of the Middle Ages and Modern times there are a series of Turkic and Kazakh clan tamgas, which contain important historical information about the settlement of individual tribes in the region.