Art at the end of I millennium bc in Tyva

Two archaeological cultures coexisted in Tuva at the end of 1000 BC, namely,the Uyuk-Saglyn culture (sites of the Ozen-Ala-Belig type) and the Ulug-Khem culture,the latter being closely connected with the Xiongnu of Mongolia and the Transbaikal regionas well as the Tes culture of the Minusinsk Depression. The sites of the Ozen-Ala-Beligtype are characterized by abundance of items made in the animal style. These are itemsmade of gold, bone, antler and bronze. They combine influences of the Scythian Siberianstyle, Pazyryk art and Xiongnu art. New archaeological sites that have yielded a largeseries of Xiongnu bronze items have been discovered in Central Tuva in recent years, thesesites are flat cemeteries of Terezin and Ala-Tey. The finds include openwork belt platesused as buckles, which are richly decorated and which have direct analogues in the art ofthe Xiongnu in Mongolia, the Transbaikal region, Southern Siberia, the Ordos Desert andNorthern China. The iconography of these plates has analogies in the Scythian Siberianstyle implying development of a particular Hun-Sarmatian animal style, which absorbedboth traits of northern barbarians’ art and traits of China art at the end of I mill. BC.