Drawings from the past show everyday human life
Volunteers in Kazakhstan have discovered new petroglyphs from the Bronze Age. The rock paintings were discovered by volunteers of the national environmental campaign «Taza Kazakhstan» in the Zhambyl region.
Rock paintings were discovered approximately 3.5 kilometers from the village of Aktogay. Their height reaches two meters, and their length is more than 15–20 meters. Most petroglyphs depict the daily life and worldview of people of that time.
“We came across very unusual drawings and, in order to understand their meaning, we turned to archaeologists for help. We hope that this discovery will shed new light on history,” said volunteer Asylzhan Pazylbekov.
According to experts, the age of the petroglyphs exceeds 4 thousand years. However, local archaeologists need support to pinpoint the date to which the petroglyphs belong. The unique features captured on the surface of the images are considered an important find. As a result, scientists plan to begin a thorough study of the rock paintings.
According to a report by the Khabar 24 news channel, archaeologists discovered more than 100 petroglyphs. These petroglyphs depict the daily life and worldview of the people of that era, as well as elements of hunting and animals such as argali, sheep and Bactrian camels.
A find with numerous images on one surface is a rarity for the Zhambyl region. These types of rock art have been found and studied in places such as Arpaozen, Koybagar, Sauiskandyk, Eshikolmes and Tanbaly-Tas.
The Karatau Mountains in Southern Kazakhstan are home to rock art known as petroglyphs, which date back to the Middle Ages and 2 th millennium BC. Topographer M.N. Kirchhoff first noticed them in the Besaryk gorge in 1906.
“The Karatau mountain range has great historical and geographical significance. This is one of the unique monuments of human civilization not only in the history of Kazakhstan, but also in world history,” commented archaeologist and historian Sauran Kaliev.
Petroglyphs from Karatau are mainly engraved on rocks and boulders of various sizes. They depict the religious beliefs, customs, stories and rituals of the nomadic tribes of the corresponding era, as well as their economic way of life. Images of birds and other animals are abundant. The themes of the images are varied and carry a certain semantic meaning. For example, the image of a camel symbolizes wealth and strength. Many of the rocks are carved with scenes of mountain goat hunting with dogs and catching birds.
“We will continue our research and conduct a state examination, since we intend to assign this object the status of an object of national or international importance for inclusion in the list of protected objects state,” said Kuanysh Daurenbekov, director of the Directorate for the Protection and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments.
In 2023, 46 historical monuments were discovered in the region, and experts expect that this find will join the list.
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