THE FORGOTTEN ROCK ART OF ANCIENT UZBEKISTAN

ANDRZEJ ROZWADOWSKI

Page 1/3
 
 
Uzbekistan Rock Art Petroglyphs
Click to Enlarge
When one says ‘rock art’ our minds are usually directed to the beautifully painted images hidden deep within dark Palaeolithic caverns of France and Spain. Not many people are aware, however, of the huge diversity of different traditions involved in the production of stone images through time and space. They have been discovered on every continent, and in certain places they are as old as those found in Lascaux and Altamira. The advancement of rock art research in different parts of the world varies from region to region. Rock art is still not fully recognised in Central Asian studies, although the beginnings of research inquiries in this area date back as early as the XIX century.
 

DISTRIBUTION AND AGE OF THE IMAGES

 
Uzbekistan Rock Art Petroglyphs
Click to Enlarge
Currently we know of more than 140 locations of rock art sites in the territory of Uzbekistan. The overwhelming majority of these are ‘petroglyphs’ (engraved or pecked images in stone) which spread up from the southern borders of the country to the north and across the Tien-Shan in the east to the extremely arid Kara-Kum desert in the west. Their presence in a variety of ecological zones points towards to cultural diversities and, to some extent, testifies to their antiquity; for instance, in arid areas people probably created them when the land was less drier than today.
 
Uzbekistan Rock Art Petroglyphs
Click to Enlarge
The detailed analyses of images enable us to propose some statements concerning their antiquity, although one must remember that the exact date of their creation remains difficult to obtain at the moment. The methods of direct dating rock art that have been pioneered in recent years involve high costs and only provide a variable reliability of results that do not encourage their future application. The uncertainty of the absolute dating of rock art, should not be, however, perceived as a hindering barrier to other questions like the meaning of the images, the ethnic identity of the image makers, or attempts at reconstructing the social contexts in which the images operated. Furthermore, in some cases, it appears not too difficult to distinguish between older and younger images and their connection to a given pre- or historic period.
 
Uzbekistan Rock Art Petroglyphs
Click to Enlarge
The examination of image superimposition, degree of patination (‘desert sunburn’), technique of execution (especially in the case of engravings), and stylistic and subject analyses can create the basis for the establishment of a relative chronological scheme. The most productive method among them is the careful identification of motifs. Correlating different rock art subjects with, if possible, the archaeological record makes it possible to distinguish some iconographic elements specific to particular chronological periods.
 
In particular, the images of bulls can be associated with the Stone or early Bronze Age, wheel vehicles could of appeared no earlier than the Bronze Age, and the images of warriors armed with metal swords can not be older than the local knowledge of metallurgy. Thus, considering such aspects of rock art imagery scholars have been able to distinguish four general chronological complexes in Central Asia which are applicable also to the prehistoric art of Uzbekistan: the Stone Age (IV-III mill. BC; some images like the paintings in Zaraut-Kamar can be older), Bronze Age (III-II mill. BC), Iron Age (I mill. BC – I centuries AD), and Middle Ages (I mill. AD).
 
 
Bradshaw Foundation
 
bradshaw foundation donate help
Mailing List

Email Sign-Up
website updates

Email

First Name

Last Name

Country

DVD
bradshaw foundation ishop dvd
Podcast
bradshaw foundation podcast
Homepage About the Foundation Contact Us Facebook News Articles Twitter List of Research Papers Professor Stephen Oppenheimer Bibliographic Database Travel Index About the Expeditions Forthcoming Expeditions Bespoke Expeditions Enquire Practical Information History of Exploration Welcome to the iShop Film Downloads DVD's Sculpture Prints Clothing Messenger Bag eBooks INORA Downloads About iLecture Films Shipping & Handling iLectures In Conversation Video Stories Travel Films Read the reviews Privacy Policy Bradshaw Foundation Facebook Friends of the Foundation Archive Index World's Oldest Rock Art Africa Documentary Films South Africa RARI Giraffe Carvings Niger Namibia Western Central Africa Africa Paintings Gallery Tanzania The Tuareg People Tuareg Salt Caravans Gilf Kebir Birnin Kudu Rock Art Center Archive Index San Rock Art Paintings San Bushman San Rock Art Film Origins Centre Johannesburg Archive Index Arizona Baja California Baja California Film Coso Range Talking Stone Film Nevada Oregon Territory Moab, Utah Clovis First Australia Archive Index Introduction Bradshaw Paintings Kimberley Region The Unambal Hugh Brown Leif Thiele Gallery Dan Clark Grahame Walsh Bradshaws / Gwion Gwion Archive Index Introduction Origins of the British Avebury Stonehenge Sounds of Stonehenge The British Museum British Isles Megaliths Gower Peninsula Rock Art Mendip Hills Prehistory Northumberland Rock Art Red Lady of Paviland Stone Age Mammoth Abattoir Archive Index Introduction Peterborough Petroglyphs Western Canadian Rock Art Writing-On-Stone Wuikinuxv Territory Dinosaur Provincial Park Archive Index Huashan Rock Art Yinchuan Museum Rock Art Festival Field Trip Gallery Itinerant Creeds Inner Mongolia & Ningxia Vanishing Civilization Life in Rock Art (PDF) Tibet Tibet Photographs Dazu Rock Carvings Tiger Motif Archive Index Chauvet Cave Lascaux Cave Niaux Cave Cosquer Cave Rouffignac Cave Portable Art Defining Rock Art Tuc d'Audoubert Bison Dr. Jean Clottes Index UNESCO World Heritage Introduction Cave Paintings Gallery Visiting the Chauvet Cave Return to Chauvet Cave Investigating the Cave Venus & Sorcerer Werner Herzog Film Chauvet Publications India Archive Index Rock Art Central India Pachmarhi Hills India Rock Art Gallery Preservation & Education Dr. V. S. Wakankar Articles on India Rock Art Contemporary Art Sri Lanka Archive Index Rock Paintings & Engravings Sri Lanka Rock Art Gallery Middle East Archive Index Middle East Inroduction Rock Art of Iran Rock Art of Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Rock Art Ancient Geometry Middle East Colonisation Scandinavian Rock Art Archive Scandinavian Introduction Alta Rock Art Norway Rock Art in Finland Tanum Rock Art Sweden Thor Heyerdahl Archive Index Introduction America's Oldest Art? Pedra Furada Bolivian Rock Art Campeche Island - Brazil Checta Petroglyphs - Peru Cueva de las Manos Santa Catarina Island - Brazil Rock Art in Britain Campeche Rock Art Petroglyphs El Salvador - Corinto Cave Hand Rock Art Paintings Tibetan Rock Art United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Yinchuan Rock Art Museum Introduction Ice Age Art Gallery Claire Artemyz Jill Cook Interview Cycladic Introduction Cycladic Gallery A Cultural Memory Izzy Wisher Biography Deer-tooth necklace Cave Art Introduction Geometric Signs Chart Research Methodology Geometric Signs in France Sign Types/Countries/Regions Bibliography Ancient Symbols in Rock Art Newsletter Archive Download Issues Introduction Genetic Map Professor Stephen Oppenheimer Further Reading Origins of the British BBC Documentary Origins Index Origins Overview 13 Big Questions Stanley Ambrose Homo Floresiensis Herto Skulls Homo Dmanisi Liujiang Skull Introduction Sentinels in Stone Easter Island Rock Art Birdman Cult / Motif Sea & Marine Creatures Design & Motifs Dr Georgia Lee Easter Island Map Contemporary Art Glossary Conclusion Thor Heyerdahl Introduction When & Who Built It? How Was It Built? The Area Sounds of Stonehenge Meaning of a Pyramid Pyramid Studies Pyramid Superstructure Pyramid Substructure Pyramid Preparations Pyramid Building Saqqara Nabil Swelim Temples of Malta and Gozo Research in the Caucasus The Keselo Foundation Homo Dmanisi Ancient Toolmakers Index Introduction Descent into the Cave The Decorated Caves Shamanistic Experience Spring Initiation Rites Summary Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Professor John P. Miller Motif: Eternal Index Banksy Han Meilin Bruce Radke Christian Tuki Gordon Ellis-Brown Site Map Search the Website Glossary of Terms & Definition Podcast on iTunes Other Websites Contact the Foundation