Petroglyph is what?

People always wanted to convey their thoughts and experiences, and long before the appearance of writing, they found a unique way to tell what they felt, with the help of rock paintings that are real archaeological monuments. Their scientific significance in the study of the spiritual culture of the Neolithic and Bronze periods is invaluable.

Such chronicles, carved out by ancient artists with stone and metal tools, are found on all continents of our planet. And according to scientists, in 120 countries there are about 35 million different figures left to future generations.

Cave masterpieces

Petroglyph is a picture carved into stone, and the subjects of images could be completely different. Wherever ancient people lived, they find rock masterpieces that are considered to be fragments of the culture of primitive tribes. The earliest images carried a magical meaning, and they were painted to appease the spirits before fishing or hunting. On the rocks, animals were imprinted, and then the outlines of people began to appear.

Signs in the form of a circle or waves were most often used when creating calendars. Over time, the inscriptions began to appear on specially created stone structures, menhirs and dolmens, and they had a sacred meaning.

Rock paintings as a reflection of the attitude of an ancient person

According to scientists, petroglyph is a story of a thinking person, thus expressing his vision of the world. The meaning of the drawing was of particular importance to the artist, who for a long time painstakingly carved images in the rocks and polished all the cut-off places. The most ancient masterpieces are more elegant and carefully traced, and late petroglyphs do not differ in compositional completeness and are roughly performed. Researchers believe that the symbols appeared did not carry a semantic load, and after the paper was invented, the need to cut inscriptions has disappeared.

Therefore, we can confidently say that petroglyph is not a picture from nature, but a world re-worked by the consciousness of primitive man , closely connected with the cult, the system of rites and beliefs.

The opening continues

Surprisingly, the traditions of applying ancient petroglyphs arise completely in different parts of the earth, and each archaeological monument has differences in the manner of drawing and image content.

Discoveries of scientists continue even now. It is believed that the oldest on our planet drawings found in Australia, and their age exceeds 40 thousand years.

Karelian Images

Petroglyphs found in Karelia are recognized as one of the most valuable creations of world significance. Rock paintings, created six thousand years ago, are widely known and often become objects of international research. The ancient art of primitive people attracts a large number of tourists for whom scientific excursions are organized.

Undeciphered Petroglyphs

Specialists dubbed petroglyphs of Karelia "the bible of the Stone Age", because their importance for world culture is priceless. Figures differ in that they are not on a vertical wall, but literally under the feet of visitors. Unfortunately, many of the signs carved by ancient creators have not been deciphered to this day. Next to the familiar images of people and animals, strange signs coexist, more like aircraft. Scientists are sure that behind the drawings lies a deep meaning: first the symbols appeared in the minds of people, and only then on the rock. They were knocked out in the IV-III centuries BC.

Archaeological complex of Belomorye

"White Sea Petroglyphs" is the name of an archaeological complex, which includes not only drawings, but also the sites of an ancient man. About two thousand images are on the islands of Bolshoy Malinin, Shoyrukshin, Erpin Pudas, but, perhaps, the most interesting are the masterpieces of Novaya and Staraya Zalavruga. Hunting drawings of the primitive era are admired by the special talent of ancient artists. Before the expressive hunting scenes, reaching in sizes of more than 2.5 meters, the tourists freeze in admiration. By the way, here you can see the drawing of a man running on skis.

Figures of fantastic content

Onego petroglyphs, located in the Pudozh district on the shore of Lake Onega, combine into whole compositions. About 1200 images are clearly visible against the backdrop of the red-shining rock, but there are also those that grew lichen, and it's not easy to find them from the first.

The drawings differ significantly from the White Sea ones in that they are filled with fantastic content. For example, on Cape Besov Nos you can observe a strange tall figure with the face of an animal and spread out on the ground. It is believed that our ancestors depicted the "demon". Next to it are drawings of a lizard and a burbot, which together form the so-called triad.

The locals always knew about the drawings, but they considered them to be the product of the devil. There is a story about the monks of the Murom monastery who tried to drive the demon out of the works of ancient people, for which they beat the crosses in rock carvings.

Primitive temple

The mythological scenes left by our ancestors are researched by scientists all over the world who have made a confession that they are observing a real primitive temple in which the granite rocks served as the iconostasis.

Unfortunately, not all the drawings have reached us in their original state. Onego petroglyphs washed by water are erased with time, lichens and mosses corrode unique images, many darkened and merged in color with rocks, so it is not possible to detect them now.

Live pictures

However, there are many well-preserved masterpieces of rock art, and the sharpness of carved images depends on the lighting. The sun's rays playing at dawn completely transform the petroglyphs of Karelia, and it seems that the signs left by our ancestors come to life in full view. Moving pictures - this is a unique spectacle, for which tourists are hurrying here, interested in culture.

It can be said that petroglyph is not only a historically important object, but also an art monument that allows you to read a unique stone book and touch ancient history. A carved image on a rock can tell a lot about the life of distant ancestors, and it is possible that new discoveries are just around the corner.