Abstract
The article summarizes the results of studying the petroglyphs of a newly documented rock art site at Zholbaryskamal, located in the Kishi (Small) Karatau ridge. The area, river, gorge are named in honor of Zholbarys Khan – the second khan of the Senior Zhuz (tribal union) of the Kazakhs. It is likely that the personal tamga (the sign) of Zholbarys Khan was also identifi ed within the general cluster of petroglyphs. There are more than 400 rock engravings were documented here in total. Statistical analysis of all the depictions on the landscape was conducted. The main number of them refers to the Middle Bronze, but images of the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age are widely represented. A distinct layer of imagery belongs to the broader artistic culture of the southern part of the Eurasian steppe zone during the Middle Bronze Age, including adorants, chariot, other canonical images of the "Andronovo pictorial tradition". Unique scenes of hunting and sacrifi ce, multi-fi gure scenes featuring animals such as camels, bulls, horses of diff erent periods were also documented. "Bi-triangular" styled depictions of the Early Bronze have also been recorded. Unique fi nd for Karatau is an image of a small banner of the Turkic period. The paper also provides a history of petroglyph research in the region, this is the fi fth known Rock Art site of the Kishi Karatau.