Rock Art of the Altai Mountains, Mongolia - Esther Jacobson-Tepfer

ARARA presents...

Rock art can be found across Mongolia, wherever there are mountains and bedrock. However, the most finest and oldest concentrations are found in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. Extending over a period of several thousand years, this material is distinguished by a great variety of subjects and styles, reflecting a succession of cultures at the heart of Eurasia. This talk will offer an overview of that material and a focus on one of its most impressive aspects—the depth of its narrative tradition.

Professor Esther Jacobson-Tepfer did her graduate work at the University of Chicago, with a major in Central Asian and Chinese art history. She has spent 20 field seasons doing survey and documentation in the Altai Mountains of Russia and Mongolia and has published eleven books and many articles on rock art and monumental archaeology of that region. In recognition of her contribution to Mongolian Heritage, including work on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai (2010), Jacobson-Tepfer received the Mongolian Academy of Sciences’ highest award, the Kublai Khan Gold Medal (2016).