Kalbak-Tash Petroglyphs
Kalbak-Tash is a unique and fascinating complex of ancient petroglyphs located in Ongudai district, at the Altai Republic of Russia. In terms of variety, chronological depth, and quality of its imagery, Kalbak-Tash offers an unusually valuable and continuous record of human expressive imagery that dates back from the Neolithic period (6000-4000 BC) to the old Turkic era (700-1000 AD).
These representation include realistic and easily recognized animals as well as 80 easily discerned human types; but they also include syncretic animals, fantastic creatures, and anthropomorphic compositions which might have emerged from traditions of religious beliefs, myths, or epic poetry.
One of the most interesting parts on the carving below is the group of people with mushroom-shaped hats and some sort of a tail or waist-pack. There's a square on their chests that might be representing the place of the soul. Above them, a huge and bizarre creature with large teeth and a long tail. One theory suggests that this monster was a devourer of souls, which cleansed humans of their sins before allowing them to enter the upper world.
