Prehistoric routes through the Altai Mountains

What is it about?

The Altai Mountains straddle 4 countries - China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia & Russia. Modern border controls mean that the mountains are seen as a 'natural barrier' to movement in prehistory and thus also cultural contact. By mapping routes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and comparing them to the locations of rock art in all 4 countries, this paper identifies several major paths over the modern borders that could have been used in prehistory.

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Photo by Yura Lytkin on Unsplash

Photo by Yura Lytkin on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This paper demonstrates that: a) it was possible for people to travel throughout the Altai and reach neighbouring areas in all 4 countries; b) from the Neolithic onwards, various people used these routes, including hunter-gatherers and herders. In addition, there is no evidence that the Chinese part of the Altai was less accessible than the Kazakh, Mongol & Russian parts - this most likely reflects a division between Russian-speaking and Chinese-speaking research.