Rock art sanctuary as a feature of antique trade cults: Altai and Ural trends

The article presents a comparative analysis of unique sacral sites in the Ural and Altai Mountains. The currently known cult sites of this kind emerged in the considered regions during the Neolithic - Early Metal Period. Such sanctuaries were mainly located close to rocks with petroglyphs. These sacral complexes represent a combination of petroglyphs with offerings placed in immediate proximity to the rocks bearing images. Images of animals and hunting scenes on rocks suggest association of ancient sanctuaries with hunting activity. The common features inherent in this type of sacral site are the iconography of images, the majority of which represent zoomorphic images, anthropomorphic images are less common; traces of fire use, a specific set of offerings on altars (fragments of ceramic ware, arrowheads, tools from various materials, art, cult artifacts, and others). Regional differences are: types of animals depicted, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of offerings on altars, techniques of making rock images, thickness of cultural layers of cult sites. The sanctuaries in caves can be considered an exclusively Uralian feature. Therefore, despite revealed regional trends of hunting ceremonies, cult complexes of these regions show certain similarity in performing worship acts based on the uniform idea of reproduction of game animals and ensuring good luck in hunting.