Russian scientists discovered 31 new petroglyphs at the Pegtymel monument

Russian scientists found 31 previously unknown petroglyphs at the famous Pegtymel monument. Their discovery indicates the need to revise the conservation status of this region of Chukotka, said Deputy Head of the Petroglyph Expedition of the Institute of Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Svoisky. His words are quoted by TASS.

“The total number of rock paintings in Pegtymel increased from 213 in 1986 to 691 in 2026. In other words, over the last 4 seasons of field work, we have identified almost 100 new petroglyphs. Their study allows us to say that virtually all rock cliffs in the studied region contain at least one drawing,” the scientist explained.

He pointed out that individual rock art monuments are now under protection, while the territory between them, where unexplored cultural monuments may be hidden, is not protected at the legal level. In this regard, he called for protecting and resorting to museumification of much larger regions of Pegtymel.

In turn, the head of the Petroglyph Expedition of the Institute of Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Elena Levanova, said that dozens of petroglyphs found in 2026 are very different in style and elaboration from previously discovered rock paintings in other regions of Pegtymel. According to scientists, these images may be copies of more elaborate petroglyphs from long-discovered parts of the monument, which the ancient inhabitants of Chukotka tried to repeat several generations later.