Pegtymel Petroglyphs, Archaeological site by Pegtymel River, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
The Pegtymel Petroglyphs are prehistoric rock carvings located along the Pegtymel River valley in the far northeast of Russia, close to the East Siberian Sea. The carvings are made into dark rock surfaces, with white quartz lines forming the figures.
Soviet geologists came across the carvings in 1967, and later studies dated them to around 2,000 years ago. The site is the only known location of prehistoric rock art found above the Arctic Circle in Russia.
The carvings show scenes of whale and reindeer hunting, with people in boats and groups accompanied by dogs. These images give a direct sense of how people living in the Arctic once organized their daily survival.
The site sits in a remote part of northeastern Russia and can only be reached by helicopter, so planning well in advance is necessary. Once there, visitors will find no services or shelters, and Arctic weather can change rapidly.
Some of the carved figures have mushroom-shaped heads, which has led researchers to suggest a link to rituals involving hallucinogenic fungi. This kind of depiction is extremely rare in prehistoric rock art anywhere in the world.
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