Original complex of Bronze Age petroglyphs on the right bank of the Baga-Oygur river in the Mongolian Altai

This article discusses petroglyphs of the rock art complex of Baga-Oygur-6, located on the right bank of the Baga-Oygur River. The site was discovered in 2023 during archaeological survey of the Russian-Mongolian Expedition. It contains a set of rock images including multifigured compositions on horizontal planes of slate. The images from the complex, such as a hunting scene with three anthropomorphic characters, and image of a chariot, mainly belong to the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age petroglyphs at this site are distinguished by their technique of shallow, smooth, and very elegant pecking. Anthropomorphic characters with weapons, including bows and clubs with spikes, as well as chariots led by a pair of horses are represented using the iconography which finds wide parallels in Central Asia. In addition to compositions of the Bronze Age, individual petroglyphs of different periods, which do not constitute plot-based compositions, have also been found at the site. Two separate images are of particular interest. They are distinguished by the style of rendering individual details which were represented according to the canons typical of the earlier Kalguinsky style. These images may be associated with the early sanctuary of Baga-Oygur-5 (on the right bank) which is located nearby. The whole picture was enriched by the later images of animals, primarily of mountain goats, made with large, sparse, and sometimes extremely stylized pecking, associated with the Iron Age, and even possibly the Middle Ages.