Change to rock art has been treated as an unforgiveable act in many contemporary cases; however, rock art in many parts of the world was most likely not created with the intention that it would endure for eternity unaltered. This paper highlights three ways in which the rock art creation process has been ‘replicated’ in the past and present. These forms of replication behaviours—of form, place, and action—are identified in the case study of the rock art of the Bronze Age and Iron Age Mongolian Altai. Additionally, examples of modern imagery that represent continuity of tradition are also presented. I argue that the cognitive processes suggested by these forms of replication have been influential in forming the rock art record, and they can be used to explore contemporary, regional worldviews. In eastern Eurasia, replication behaviours in rock art reference place-making strategies and regional cosmological traditions that see the landscape as occupied by non-human beings. The goal is to provide a constructive framework by which alteration and change can be considered innate aspects of the archaeological record, as opposed to mere vandalism, in our interpretation of prehistoric rock art.

在许多现代情况下，改变摇滚​​艺术被视为不可原谅的举动。但是，在世界许多地方，岩画极有可能不是为了永恒不变而创作的。本文重点介绍了过去和现在“复制”岩石艺术创作过程的三种方式。这些复制形式的行为-形式，位置和动作-在青铜时代和铁器时代的蒙古阿尔泰岩石艺术的案例研究中得以确定。此外，还介绍了代表传统连续性的现代意象实例。我认为，这些复制形式所暗示的认知过程对岩石艺术唱片的形成产生了影响，它们可以用来探索当代的区域世界观。在欧亚大陆东部，岩石艺术中的复制行为参考了场所制定策略和区域宇宙学传统，这些传统认为风景被非人类所占据。目的是提供一个建设性的框架，在我们对史前岩石艺术的解释中，可以将变更和变化视为考古记录的固有方面，而不是单纯的破坏性行为。