History and culture: Great Boyar petroglyphs presented at the exhibition “Petroglyphs of Khakassia” in Omsk

October 17, 2013 in the M. A. Vrubel Omsk Museum of Fine Arts opened the exhibition “Petroglyphs of Khakassia” from the collection of the L. R. Kyzlasov Khakassia National Local Lore Museum.

 The exhibition presents copies of stone sculptures, rock paintings of the Scythian period, the Yenisei runic writing by the artist and archaeologist, author of the method of stamp copy of petroglyphs on mica paper Vladimir Kapelko (1937-2000) and his followers, headed by Sergei Narylkov.

The sculptures belong to the fine art of antiquity, created at the beginning of the Bronze Age by owners of Okunevskaya native culture that inhabited Khakassko-Minusinskaya valley about 5000 years ago (the end of the III - the beginning of the II millennium BC). Stone sculptures, now known worldwide as the “idols of the Yenisei River” are interesting for their enigmatic figures - three-eyed anthropomorphic masks people, sun gods, fantastic beasts and figures with animal heads. Until now, scientists argue about the meaning of these images.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a copy of the Great Boyar petroglyphs depicting the ancient inhabitants of the village Khakassko-Minusinskaya basin. The rock paintings of this time become a sort of illustrated stories of I millennium BC.

The outcome of the ancient and medieval culture of Khakassia was the emergence and spread of the Yenisei alphabet in the VIII century BC. The Yenisei runic writing presents with epitaphs, magic spells and household inscriptions on the stones.