The Kokentau Ochre Rock Paintings: An Open Archaeological Dataset from East Kazakhstan

This paper introduces the ochre paintings from Kokentau, an open-access archaeological dataset documenting one of the earliest known and most extensive pigment-based rock art assemblages in Kazakhstan. The dataset contains comprehensive photographic documentation and descriptive metadata for 34 outcrops with 75 rock shelters, comprising a total of 702 pictorial figures and abstract signs. These pictographs were created with ochre and other iron-based pigments, and are tentatively attributed to the Early Bronze Age, although their precise chronology remains under discussion. The collection includes high-resolution photographs, DStretch-enhanced images, and orthophotos of pictorial panels, complemented by an attribute table with geographic coordinates and figure classifications. By providing standardized, openly accessible data, the Kokentau dataset supports comparative studies of Eurasian rock art, pigment use, and early symbolic behaviour, and is designed for interdisciplinary reuse within archaeology, digital heritage, GIS, art history, and computer-vision research.