Online Public Lecture Series: Ancient rock art of Central Asia as a source of intercultural dialogue and communication of the population

The lecture is devoted to the rock art of Central Asia and its role in the intercultural dialogue of ancient societies. The main regions of petroglyph concentration, their cultural and historical significance, research methods, chronological framework and possible interpretations will be considered. Pictorial monuments are considered as ancient sanctuaries where ritual ceremonies took place, as well as markers of ancient migration and trade routes.

The lecturer will pay special attention to the issues of documenting and dating rock art, including the author's method of contactless copying and digitalisation of research. The lecturer will also raise the problem of falsifications in historiography related to the ancient history of the region.

The lecture emphasises the importance of a systematic study of petroglyphs and the need to preserve them, since the lack of scientific research and publications leads to cases of vandalism and the loss of historical heritage.

Speaker

Dr Viktor Novozhenov is a leading researcher at the International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO since 2017. Until 2020, he headed the Department of International Cooperation of the Centre, worked at the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi and the Saryarka Archaeological Institute at the Karaganda University named after E. A. Buketov. His research covers the archaeology of the Bronze Age, early nomads of Central Asia and ancient wheeled transport. Of particular interest are the images of combat and transport crews of the Middle Bronze Age in the petroglyphs of Kazakhstan. He is the author of 8 monographs and more than 100 scientific articles.

Moderator: Nurzhauar Issayeva – PhD, professor, FDP-AKHP Coordinator in Kazakhstan
Date: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Time: 15:30 (Kazakhstan and Tajikistan time), 16:30 (Kyrgyzstan time)
Language: Russian