The art of the Yankovskaya culture: mobile petroglyphs
The first archaeological culture (7th century BC - 1st century BC), which was marked out in Primorye in 1881, hasn’t been recently presented in scientific studies, and its items haven’t been of any value for the art. From the 1980s, the first publication started to appear about the findings which were classified as ancient images. These were the images of the constellations on slabs, the figures of animals, birds, fish, limnetic and people. The largest material is represented by spindle whorls. Among the ornaments one can find calendars, sundials, sea stars and sea urchins. Ancient images were found during the survey of twelve archeological sites of the Yankovskaya culture. Mobile petroglyphs were found in the Ajax Bay; in two settlements Boysman 2 and Boysman 3, in Cape Shelekh. It was often rather difficult to examine the images. It was only possible during diffused light and on digital photographs; that is why, there were mistakes in the first publications. In this study the previous inaccuracies are eliminated, repetitive images are traced, and a method of the decryption of Japanese petroglyphs is suggested for the first time. The art of the Yankovskaya culture is characterized by an advanced system of images, forms and techniques with evident south-eastern background. The direct evidences are the plate from Cape Shelekh with a Chinese natal chart, a replica of the bronze mirror from Maykhe 2, a model of a boat of a type of the Indonesian prao from the Telekovsky Bay.