About 100 new rock inscriptions were discovered in the Pigtymel area of Chukotka

Thus, the total number of rock inscriptions discovered in recent years in the region has risen to about 100 new cultural monuments. This discovery indicates the need to reconsider the mechanisms for protecting this area in Chukotka, according to what Yuri Svoisky, deputy head of the mission to study rock inscriptions affiliated with the Institute of Archeology at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said during a press conference held in Moscow.

The scientist said: “The total number of rock inscriptions in the Pigtemel area increased from 213 in 1986 to 691 in 2026. In other words, during the last four field seasons we discovered about 100 new rock inscriptions. Studying these inscriptions allows us to say that all the rock cliffs in the studied area contain at least one drawing, which indicates the necessity of reconsidering our approach to protecting them.”

Svoisky noted that some rock art sites in Chukotka are under protection, while their surrounding areas, which in turn may hide cultural monuments that have not yet been discovered or studied, are still not legally protected. He believes that the scientific community and the relevant government agencies should explore the possibility of expanding the scope of the areas subject to protection to include areas much larger than the Pigtail area, and converting it into a large open-air museum.

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According to Yelena Livanova, head of the Petroglyph Study Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology, what is particularly interesting is that the petroglyphs discovered this year differ fundamentally in terms of style and details from the inscriptions previously discovered and studied in other areas of the Pigtymel Valley.

Scientists hypothesize that the rougher, simplified images may be copies of more detailed petroglyphs found in parts of the site discovered during the Soviet era, and the ancient inhabitants of Chukotka may have tried to recreate them several generations later.

About the archaeological area of Pigtemel

It is noteworthy that the Pigtymel rock art area was discovered in 1965 by Soviet geologist Nikolai Samorukov, on the banks of the Pigtymel River on the Chukotka Peninsula. Over the following decades, Soviet archaeologists discovered on the banks of the river three groups of petroglyphs containing about 200 drawings.