Abstract
The paper examines the evolution of the rock art in Trans-Baikal through the lens of zoomorphic forms’ development. In 2017, as a result of the author’s fi eldwork in TransBaikal, 28 sites with 917 fi gures and 63 sites with 4752 were documented in Zabaykalskiy Krai and Buryatia respectively. This paper is primarily based on the author’s fi eld data. Three chronological groups of traditions are considered: 1) zoomorphic forms of the Byrka style which was preliminary attributed to the end of Pleistocene – beginning of the Holocene; 2) images of the Taiga group of sites, conditionally related to the Neolithic – Bronze Age; and 3) animalistic depictions of the Selenga tradition and petroglyphs of the Kyakhta group which belong to the Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age. It is concluded that an analysis of a single subject such as zoomorphic forms shows general trends in the development of Trans-Baikal rock art which starts from the naturalistic depictions of economically and symbolically important at the time of Final Pleistocene – Early Holocene animals, follows through the inclusion of human depictions in the scenes with large fauna in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, and arrives to the emergence of symbolic and syncretic motifs in the Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age. Notwithstanding this epochal changes in the rock art of Trans-Baikal, there is an apparent continuity in the ritual and religious practice as evidenced at the rock art sites. Concluding the paper, some potential avenues for future research are outlined such as dating, search for sites in the Taiga zone, modern documentation of the Kyakhta group petroglyphs, and a study of local variants of the Selenga tradition.
Keywords
Paleolithic art, bison, Taiga rock art, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Selenga tradition, Kyakhta petroglyphs.
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