Chinese archaeologists found an ancient image of a shaman in the Altai mountains
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient sanctuary in caves in northwestern China, located in the Altai mountains.
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient sanctuary in caves in northwestern China, located in the Altai mountains. This was reported by the portal “Science Mail”, referring to the publication in the journal npj Heritage Science.
Specialists from scientific centers of China studied rock paintings in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which is located at the junction of the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Thanks to hyperspectral photography, they were able to find symbols and figures invisible to the human eye on the walls of the caves. Archaeologists have also established the chronology of the drawings.
The first discovered composition included 19 figures, among which was the image of a three-eyed man and geometric motifs. In the second cave, archaeologists found 51 drawings.
Comparison with other monuments of Mongolian and Altai cultures showed that the earliest drawings belong to the Chemurchek culture (3 millennium BC). Other anthropomorphic drawings correlate with the cultural traditions of the Bronze Age. Special attention was drawn to the figure with three eyes and a beard, whose image is often associated with shamanic practices in Central Asia.
The images on the walls of the caves are associated with Tibetan Buddhism. This is evidenced by the found inscriptions in Tibetan and the symbol of the crossed vajra. These signs date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), when Buddhism was supported by the rulers of Mongolia.
Near the caves, archaeologists also found a stone mound with a diameter of about 10 meters. It is not yet clear whether this building is related to rock painting. However, the multilayered designs and buildings confirm that over the centuries, different peoples revered this place as sacred, complementing the ancient paintings with their own symbols.
