KRASNOYARSK, June 16. /TASS/. Archaeologists in Russia's Khakassia Region have discovered a unique rock painting created by the ancient Okunev culture that was previously unseen on such surfaces, Timofey Klyuchnikov, director of the Siberian Archaeological Research nonprofit organization, told TASS.

"A previously unknown Okunev rock art panel has been discovered at the Sorsk Pillars site in Khakassia. Images of this type have never been found on rock surfaces before - they were known only from stone slabs recovered from burial sites," Klyuchnikov said.

The first petroglyphs at Sorsk Pillars were identified last year. The newly discovered panel features a mask-like human face painted in red ochre, closely resembling images unearthed at early Okunev burial grounds along the Uybat River. This allows researchers to date the artwork to the mid-third millennium BC.

The Okunev culture flourished in the Minusinsk Basin - encompassing present-day Khakassia and southern parts of the Krasnoyarsk Region - around 4,000 years ago. Its rock art is known for distinctive anthropomorphic figures, depictions of cattle, bulls and moose, as well as mythical creatures. One of the culture's most prominent archaeological monuments is the Shalabolino petroglyph site.