Abstract

Author:
Wenjing Zhang, Xiaokun Wang, Altad S. Terguunbayar, Wen Peng, Dalai Wang, Bo Xiao, Xiang Zhou

Doi: 10.7508/jra.01.2025.10.23

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Vehicle petroglyphs represent a significant category of rock art on the Inner Mongolia Plateau. By employing the shaft of the vehicles as a ‘typological marker’ and the wheels and draft animals as ‘artifact combinations’, this study investigates the chronological sequence of vehicle petroglyphs through archaeological typology and comparative analysis with ancient vehicle forms. Discussions on the origin of chariots, the domestication of horses, and the archaeological findings of vehicles provide valuable references for understanding the forms and dating of vehicle petroglyphs. Therefore, vehicle petroglyphs are one of the rock art types that can be relatively accurately dated. This study concludes that the majority of single-shaft (the ‘Yuan’) vehicle petroglyphs on the Inner Mongolia Plateau date from the Late Shang to the Spring and Autumn periods. The double-shaft vehicle petroglyphs are later than the single-shaft ones and may date from the Han Dynasty or later. Additionally, the vehicles depicted in the petroglyphs served not only as means of transportation but also for hunting and warfare, and they may have had ritualistic or ceremonial significance.

KEYWORDS
Inner Mongolia Plateau, Vehicle Petroglyphs, Typology, Chronology