Rock Art Research

This study examines the pre-Historic rock art of the Mustang region, Nepal, focusing on petroglyphs and pictograms as crucial indicators of early human activity and expression.  The research synthesises data from archaeological excavations, carbon dating analyses and extensive fieldwork across both upper and lower Mustang, with key sites including Kagbeni  (སྐག), Samar (ས་དམར།), Chuggsang (ཚུགས་བཟང་།) and Kya (སྐྱ།) rock art, serving as a precursor to written language, offers valuable insights into pre-Historic worldviews through various depictions including labyrinths, hunting yaks, geometric patterns, footprints and symbols. Archaeological findings from multiple sites, including Chokhopani, Dzong (རྫོང་ཕུག), and Mebrek (མེ་བྲག) reveal a flourishing pre-Historic culture dating to approximately 2500–2000 BP, corresponding to the late Bronze Age. The prevalence of yak and horse-riding pictograms and petroglyphs witnesses early animal domestication in this high-altitude environment, while the absence of Buddhist symbols supports the artwork’s pre-Historic origins. The rock art demonstrates cultural connections across the broader Tibetan Plateau, with similar themes found in western  Tibet, Ladakh and Spiti regions. Evidence suggests a gradual transition from wild yak hunting to domestication, alongside the cultivation of buckwheat, indicating complex mixed pastoral-agricultural economies. The paper contextualises Mustang’s rock art within the broader archaeological landscape of the Tibetan Plateau, highlighting complex cultural connections and societal developments. The findings underscore the significance of Mustang in understanding pre-Historic human adaptation and artistic expression in challenging high-altitude environments, emphasising the need for further interdisciplinary research to determine the chronological and cultural context of these works, thereby enriching our understanding of the region’s pre-Historic narrative and its place in the wider archaeological record of Asia.