Recent Advances in Rock Art Science on the Southern Piedmont of the Eastern Tianshan, Northwest China

As part of the ‘Eastern Tianshan Range Project’ launched in 2020, researchers carried out rock art science investigations at several sites on the southern piedmont of the Eastern Tianshan in 2024, including surveys, direct dating and replication experiments. Sixteen age estimates were ultimately secured, ranging from the 10th century BCE to the 9th century CE. The replication experiments demonstrated a high likelihood that cast iron was the preferred tool material for ancient petroglyph makers, and that the spread and proliferation of cast iron technology—originating in the Yellow River region—may have been the principal catalyst behind the peak of petroglyph creation in the area.