New materials on rock art of the scythian period in the Oglakhty mountains (Republic of Khakasia)

The paper presents some results of investigations of rock art sites within theOglakhty mountainous massif (Fig. 1) in 2015-2016. Several compositions dated backto the Early Iron Age are published, which have been revealed at the sites of AbrashkinLog (Fig. 2; 3) and Badalazhkin Log (Fig. 4); their peculiarities are being discussed, aswell as the relationship with known stylistic groups of the same period. Special attentionis paid to the scenes with specific for Oglakhty images of the so called «marked» horses(with distinctive decoration of the body). Traditionally, this series is attributed to the earlyor developed stages of the Scythian-Siberian animalistic style, and this has credible evidences. However, some of the revealed horse figures are filled with sinuous lines, whichare characteristic for the later Tes’ culture, and are accompanied by anthropomorphicfigures, also having Tes’ features. More thorough recording of some previously publishedpetroglyphs also shows that they have details, proving a later age (Fig. 5). A suggestionis proposed to explain this, that the very first scenes with «marked» horses have actuallyappeared on the Oglakhty rocks at the early stage of the Tagar culture, while during thelater periods the striking image and understandable subject would be replicated in imitation, with some alterations in accordance with the iconography of the time.