An article by Anna Liesowska on siberiantimes.com - These petroglyphs believed to be drawn 8,000 to 10,000 years ago in remotest Siberia - reports on the current research on the petroglyphs on the Ukok Plateau in the Altai Mountains.

Images: Lidia Zotkina

Following on from the recent article 'Denisova Cave promises more', the expedition highlights the abundant prehistoric evidence from the Altai Mountains as researchers attempt to determine the age of the petroglyphs. The expedition to the Ukok plateau, some 2,500 metres high in the Altai Mountains close to the modern-day Russian border with Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan, reveals that they may be older than previously thought.

Stylistically, the petroglyphs match the Paleolithic tradition, some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. If this can be proved, they will be the oldest carvings in Siberia by several millennia.

The site on the Ukok plateau, known as the Kalgutinsky Rudnik, also includes more recent petroglyphs, but all of the rock art is being assessed by the Russian and French scientists. Dr Lidia Zotkina, from the Mirror Lab of Novosibirsk State University, states that the dating is complex, and further work is needed, but that the converging data suggests that the petroglyphs could be Palaeolithic.

The Ukok petroglyphs are carved onto glacier-polished volcanic rhyolite, usually on horizontal planes. Normally archeologists can obtain dates from surrounding sediments, but the exposed plateau does not provide a relevant stratigraphy.

Working with geomorphologists, the team was able to determine when the glaciers left this site. Ice retreated between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, allowing prehistoric occupation. Moreover, traceological analysis is attempting to identify the tools used; using microscopes they have found traces of scraping by stone, both for the petroglyphs and for initial sketches.

Dr Zotkina states that future discoveries of Paleolithic sites is essential if the Palaeolithic age of the carvings is to be supported.

View 'Denisova Cave promises more':

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/news/archaeology.php?id=Denisova-Cave-promises-more