ALMATY – A public lecture in Almaty on Jan. 24 explored how ancient petroglyphs in Kazakhstan may reflect early astronomical knowledge, tracing humanity’s understanding of the night sky from prehistoric times to modern science. Paryshev outlined how humans began observing the sky in the Paleolithic era and gradually developed systems to interpret celestial patterns. Particular attention was given to symbols and structures found across Kazakhstan, including kurgans with moustaches (burial mounds with stone ridges), balbals (stone markers), and references to the Pleiades star cluster. The lecture also discussed how celestial phenomena could have been perceived by ancient people and influenced their religious views and rituals. Bridging past and present, Paryshev concluded by discussing modern astronomical research, including gravitational-wave observatories such as LIGO, VIRGO and the planned space-based LISA mission.