Residents of the village of Kachuga in the Belousovo district of Irkutsk region guard a slice of ancient history that clings to the Lena riverbank. The Neolithic rock paintings there have faced repeated threats from modern activity, including vandalism with paint and unlawful hunting that has left marks on the site.
These pale, weathered images tell a story of peoples who once crossed this landscape long before written records existed. In recent times, the heritage has endured further strain as a roadbed was laid by order of a commercial operator, according to a Telegram channel that cited village authorities. Undiscovered tombs rumored to lie nearby continued to draw curiosity, yet villagers did not stand idle. They set up informative stands, joined expeditions, and conducted damage assessments to document the condition of the rock art.
The village itself faces ongoing infrastructure challenges. The local cell tower is disrupted, the Lena’s sole bridge has been dismantled by heavy equipment, and emergency services can be delayed by rough, poor roads. These realities complicate efforts to protect and monitor the site and its surroundings.
Across the wider region, other ancient pictographs and petroglyphs have been discovered in areas such as Krasnoyarsk Territory, where ten rock paintings were found in studies of the Usinsk depression in the Western Sayan mountains. The term pisanitsy is used to describe these forms of ancient expression, and in Siberia it encompasses a variety of techniques, from painted figures to relief carvings and polished stone work. The scholarly usage of the word spans from the 18th century, and today it covers similar drawings found in neighboring regions as well.