Traceological analysis of minusinsk style petroglyphs at Oglakhty VI rock art site (Khakassia)

Purpose. We present some results of rock art traceological analysis applied to one rock art site in Khakassia which is called Oglakhty VI. It is situated in the Khakass Republic, in the Oglakhty Conservancy Area. Our interest is focused on the Oglakhty images which can be attributed to so-called «Minusinsk» stylistics. The petroglyphs carved in this style are considered the most ancient for the Minusinsk Basin. Presently, we have no archaeological evidences which could explain either the chronological context or the origin of this iconographic tradition in the rock art of the region. This is one of the main concerns for local rock art researchers. We can shed light on this issue by using technological research methods. We aimed at obtaining new information on technological methods of creating art figures in the Minusinsk style. Traceological analysis explains what kind of tools were used for pecking, and we can also distinguish diversity of carving methods, such as direct and indirect pecking. This data is useful for understanding technological subtlety as another aspect of the figurative methods used in rock art. Our paper presents first results of analyzing the Minusinsk carving technology, and we hope to start a series of publications on this issue. We also share our thoughts about how the data of the traceological analysis can be useful for dating petroglyphs. Results. The petroglyphs found in Oglakhty VI were preserved quite well. They include a bear, a wild horse, a roe deer and the head of another horse, which could have been a whole animal, but the image partly disappeared because of cleavage. They were carved on the old red sandstone. The figure of the bear, gives us an ambiguous result which cannot be explained in a simple way. There were three types of technological methods used, direct and indirect picketage, distinguished on this petroglyph. Special attention was given to the head and the neck of the animal, which is typical for the Minusinsk style. Different kinds of pecking and different tools were used to create this carving including stone and metal tools. Nevertheless, the same metal tool, for example, can leave different kinds of traces, so it is very difficult to identify if the creators used the same or different metal instruments. The image could have been improved later, using more modern instruments. Other figures were found less composite and sophisticated; however, there are similar features distinguished for all the engravings analyzed. Conclusion. The traceological analysis of Oglakhty VI rock art shows us the features which are significant for revealing the technological complexity of the Minusinsk style. We are going to identify technological specifications of the Minusinsk petroglyphs in the papers to follow (a series of articles).