Petroglyphs of Mount Kremennaya and Problems of Their Chronology

Abstract

The paper features rock art images of Kremennaya mountain, which is situated in the North-West part of Tepsey archeological microdistrict. The images were discovered by Kemerovo archeologists in 2015. The opening of the petroglyph site replenished the collection of graphic sources of one of the largest rock art sites of the Minusinsk Basin. It also revealed a completely new graphic tradition of the late Bronze Age. In total, four surfaces covered with rock carvings were found, i.e. 52 distinct figures. They are presumably related to the Karasuk and Tagar cultures. According to the stylistic characteristics of Bronze Age, at least two art traditions were distinguished in the context of Karasuk culture: "Wire" figures and "full-weight" silhouette characters). Similar images were found in other site of the Tepsey mountains. Excavations performed in the 1960s revealed that Tepsey archaeological microdistrict has both burial and settlement sites of two chronological stages of the Karasuk culture (XIII to XI centuries, BC). The images of Kremennaya mount provide a more detailed understanding of Tepsey, which is one of the largest rock art sites of Minusinsk basin.