Earliest rock art in the Minusinsk depression: some cases of data systematization, and experimental and trace studies

Cultural and chronological attribution of petroglyphs from the earliest figurative stratum remains one of the current problems in the study of rock art in the Minusinsk Depression. In recent years, this area of research has been actively developing; discussions on the age of the Minusinsk and Angara styles continue, and various solutions to the problem of classification of imagery in early rock art which has grown considerably in recent years, are proposed. Field research in 2021 was aimed at systematizing the available data on early rock art of the Minusinsk Depression, and included detailed experimental and trace studies of the petroglyphs. Systematization of data on the most archaic images of the region included documentation (description and recording) of petroglyphs according to a single standard, taking into account all necessary parameters of panels and individual images for further statistical processing of information about parameters of both petroglyphs and context in which they are located. The study of superimpositions involving early images was carried out along with series of experiments aimed at establishing mechanisms for deforming peck marks at petroglyph intersections. This has led to identifying a number of limitations in our approach to superimposition analysis due to incomplete traces. On the other hand, comparison of experimental data with trace analysis of a large number ofpetroglyph intersections have revealed new features relevant for establishing the sequence of image production in superimpositions. Experimental and trace studies of the earliest petroglyphs have shown that one of the most important parameters in their cultural and chronological attribution is structural features and sequences of percussion lines within the images.