A COMPLEX ROCK ART OBJECT IN THE UKRAINIAN STEPPE

Simon Radchenko; Nadezhda Kotova; Dmytro Nykonenko; Viktor Dzhos; Anatoliy Volkov; Oleg Tuboltsev; Dmytro Kiosak

Rock Art Research

Vol. 37 No. 2 (2020)
Published : Nov 17, 2020

A COMPLEX ROCK ART OBJECT IN THE UKRAINIAN STEPPE

Simon Radchenko ⁽¹⁾, Nadezhda Kotova ⁽²⁾, Dmytro Nykonenko ⁽³⁾, Viktor Dzhos ⁽⁴⁾, Anatoliy Volkov ⁽⁵⁾, Oleg Tuboltsev ⁽⁶⁾, Dmytro Kiosak ⁽⁷⁾

(1) University of Turin, Italy

(2) Institute of Archaeology of NAS of Ukraine, Ukraine

(3) 'Khortytsia’ National Reserve, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine

(4) National Historical and Archaeological ‘Kamyana Mohyla’ Reserve, Melitopol, Ukraine

(5) ‘Khortytsia’ National Reserve, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine

(6) ‘Khortytsia’ National Reserve, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine

(7) Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine

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Abstract

The unique rock art site of Kamyana Mohyla in south-eastern Ukraine contains numerous petroglyphs from different chronological periods. 3D-modelling and mesh-analysis of rock art were applied to Ukrainian rock art occurrences for the first time. They have permitted a revision of the interpretation of a particular decorated panel at this site. Previously considered to represent a mythological dragon originating from Indo-European texts, this palimpsest has a multilayered structure that was created and modified during millennia by rock artists from different cultural groups.