A rare four-horse chariot rock painting has been discovered in the rock painting protection area of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, according to the Yinchuan Helan Mountain Rock Painting Management Office.
This newly discovered rock painting is located on a single rock in the alluvial fan area. It is partially buried underground, with only about 15 centimeters exposed to the surface. The dimensions of the image are 24 by 20 centimeters, made using chiseling techniques, with a depth of about 1.5 millimeters for the scratches.
A four-horse chariot rock painting is discovered in the Helan Mountains. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
The rock painting protection area, located in the middle section of the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, is home to the highest concentration of Helan Mountain rock paintings. It contains nearly 6,000 rock paintings, more than 700 of which depict human faces, dating back about 3,000 to 10,000 years.
The rock paintings commonly feature human faces, animals, plants, and celestial bodies, recording hunting, grazing, and sacrifice scenes.
There are no more than 20 horse chariot paintings in the area, and previously they were all two-horse chariots.
The discovery of the four-horse chariot rock paintings adds to the diversity of the Helan Mountain rock art and provides new insights into the daily lives, economic activities, and agricultural and pastoral practices of the region's ancient inhabitants.
A line drawing made based on the rock painting. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]