The rock paintings, discovered near Karakol village in the Altai Republic in Russia, depict figures with round horns and feathers on their heads.
They were discovered in 1985 at a remote grave site and have since been analysed.
Scientists from the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow are most fascinated by the use of red.
The painters apparently knew how to carry out a chemical reaction to create the exact shade they wanted, by varying the temperature of heating.
“The primitive artist heated the mineral to a certain temperature in order to get the colour he needed”
Roman Senin, head of the synchrotron research department at Kurchatov Institute
Along with rocks, the tribes painted their dead with the same colours.
Spots of red were found below eye sockets, and traces of a black and silvery mineral were discovered on eyebrows.
Full results of the new study will be presented at the 43rd International Symposium on Archeometry in May 2020 in Lisbon.
The paintings date back to the early and middle Bronze Age.
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