The Altai Mountains straddle China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia: the southern foothills belong to China, the eastern part merges into the Sayan Mountains in Mongolia, the western part penetrates Kazakhstan, and the northern part extends into Siberia in Russia (fig.1). Historically, this region was the cradle of numerous nomadic tribes. Its Bronze Age cultures, in particular, have great significance in that they constituted the crux of Sino-Western cultural interaction.
Fig. 1 Map showing the Altai Mountains and the surrounding area
