Results of field research of the earliest rock art sites in the Minusnisk depression in 2020

The age of the earliest petroglyphs in the Minusinsk Depression and Southern Siberia is one of the most complicated problems of rock art studies of the region. Comprehensive research is required for answering the question about the time when the images of the Minusinsk and Angara styles, as well as the transitional variants between these two traditions emerged. Such research involves experimental trace analysis of large series of petroglyphs, and study of geomorphological context of the sites and individual representations. Absolute dating of rock surfaces, sediments from the slopes and soil from the fractures on the panels with rock art is crucial for cultural and chronological attribution of the earliest representations. Field works of the Minusinsk Rock Art Unit of IAET SB RAS in 2020focused on these main points. A large series of the earliest petroglyphs were redocumented following the same principles of description and copying. Trace studies of the earliest representations initiated before were continued. Large number of experiments on pecking reddish Devonian sandstone with stone and metal tools was carried out. The survey of rock art sites with the earliest representations aimed at selecting the sections for absolute dating has shown that they have a high information capacity. Zones for sampling for OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) and TCN (terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides) dating were identified. In our case, the first method mostly involves establishing the age of the sediment, while the second method makes it possible to find out the age of rock fragments from different levels of the site, which is helpful for dating the period of their exposure.