Abstract

The Xiongnu Empire occupied a vast territory from the mountains of the Western Tien Shan in the west to the Liaohe River in the east, and from Transbaikalia in the north to northern China in the south (to the Great Wall). Ethnoculturally, the Xiongnu people played an important bridging role between the West and the East on the Eurasian continent. The article dwells on the topical problem — analysis and recapitulation of the historiography of Xiongnu animal style, penned by scholars from Russia, China, Mongolia, and South Korea. The author analyzes the works which discuss the topics about the art of the nomads who lived in this region in the 3d century B.C.E. — 2nd century C.E. and on this basis identifies the problematic issues and future challenges in the study of this issue. The animal style of nomads of the early Iron Age has been extensively studied as a form of art. However, it seems that the scholars did not pay enough attention to the decorative art of the Iron Age peoples of the Transbaikal region and to the Xiongnu people in particular. Xiongnu art is known mainly through the archaeological data, i.e. through artifacts decorated in a peculiar animal style, different from the previous famous Scytho-Siberian animal style. Over the past decades, none of the academic schools has conducted a generalizing study of the Xiongnu animal style. As a rule, this topic remained peripheral while cultural objects or artefacts were considered. This article identifies the main trends in studying the art of the nomads of this region at the turning of eras, which is necessary for future research on the evolution of the Xiongnu animal style, identification of its local characteristics, production of classification and clarification of dates. Also, the resulting methods can be applied to the study of art of other steppe peoples of Mongolia and Transbaikal region. Thus, a foundation for the comprehensive and systematic study of the Xiongnu animal style has been prepared and the study of this topic carries strong potential.