The Earliest Petroglyphs of Rashaan-Khad, Mongolia: New Observations

Abstract

We present preliminary findings relating to the Rashaan-Khad (Arshan-Khad, Mongolia) petroglyph site studied by the Russian-Mongolian expedition in 2016 and 2023. Special attention is paid to petroglyphs that, in A.P. Okladnikov’s words, appear archaic and those that can with various degree of certainty be interpreted as representations of Late Pleistocene mammals such as woolly rhinoceros or mammoths. Okladnikov wrote that six petroglyphs stand out mostly by their large size, carved outlines, «primitivism», and robustness. Our study has revealed eight figures that could be interpreted as those of large Upper Paleolithic animals or archaic-looking ungulates, but one of the figures published by Okladnikov has not been found. We discuss the correlation of such images with wavy lines, groups of intertwined lines, and what can be seen as a representation of a «bear paw print». Despite the limited time for fieldwork, we were able to identify panels especially relevant to the chronology of the site, refine the trace-drawings, obtain new data on already known images, and detect new ones. Comparison of petroglyphs published by Okladnikov in the 1980s with 3D-models and curvature maps based on them demonstrated yet again the need for and efficiency of advanced digital documentation in the study of rock art and the re-documentation of already known sites.