Angara Style Rock Art: The Evolution of a Regional Emblematic and Syncretic Style

Angara style rock art, previously thought to have originated elsewhere, is shown to have developed in situ within the Mongolian Altai during the Upper Palaeolithic (13,000–10,300 years before present). This conclusion is supported by comparative stylistic analysis and palaeoenvironmental data. The study reveals that hunter-gatherers creating this art migrated eastward due to drought around 8200–7300 bp, eventually settling in the Minusinsk Basin. On the Middle Yenisey River, Angara style rock art served as a mnemonic device encoding syncretic cosmologies and beliefs of proto Ket and Evenki groups, reflecting their social alliances.

McNeil, L. D. (2024). Angara Style Rock Art: The Evolution of a Regional Emblematic and Syncretic Style. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 34(3), 477–494. https://doi.org/10.1017/s095977432300046x