Rock Art in the Bartang Rock Shelter (Eastern Pamir)

The article presents the results of research on a newly discovered rock art site — the Bartang Cave located in the Kurtake Valley (Eastern Pamir, Republic of Tajikistan). The site was identified during the 2024 field surveys, and the archaeological study was conducted in 2025. The cave is associated with Jurassic limestone outcrops at an altitude of 4142 m above sea level. Five pigmentmade images were recorded in the cave. All of the images represent schematic icons typical of the local rock art; two of these figurines depicted anthropomorphic images. Photographic documentation followed by digital image enhancement using the DStretch method were executed; a test pit was made near the cave entrance. Archaeological materials recovered from the excavation trench mainly contained ovicaprine bone fragments. One bone sample was subjected to Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating, yielding a calibrated date of 1472–1650 CE. The authors provide correlations with other Eastern Pamir rock art sites – Shakhty, Kurteke, and Sangi-Kashida – where anthropomorphic images have been found. Comparative analysis allows us to propose a tentative chronological attribution of the Bartang Cave paintings to the Late Stone Age – Early Metal period (Mesolithic–Bronze Age). The discovery of new anthropomorphic depictions expands our understanding of the symbolic appropriation of the highmountain landscapes of the Eastern Pamirs in prehistory. The derived radiocarbon date for the first cultural layer suggests a brief episode of use of the site during the 15th–17th centuries CE

Accelerator mass spectrometry · Cave · Excavation · Outcrop · Radiocarbon dating · Rock art · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Soil and Environmental Studies