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Rock Art in Russia

Europe · 2 sites · ✦ 1 UNESCO

Russia holds 2 documented rock art sites in this atlas. The oldest, Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash), dates back ~19,000 yrs. 1 is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 1 welcomes visitors today.

Prehistoric cave art at Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)© Элиза Азатовна Мусина · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pictured: Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)

Sites

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash) Located in the Ural Mountains, this cave shattered the belief that Paleolithic cave art was exclusive to France and Spain when its red ochre mammoths, horses, and rhinos were discovered in 1959.

Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea On wave-polished granite capes of Lake Onega and the White Sea shore, Neolithic hunters carved some 4,600 figures: processions of swans, elk, crewed boats, and the two-metre 'Bes' of Besov Nos, whose outline monks later struck through with a cross.

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