Korol’ G.G.

Key words: metal finds, Middle Ages, Sayan-Altai, cultural impact, decor, images of fantastic animals, syncretism.
The article analyzes and systematizes the images of fantastic animals in the decor of medieval artifacts from the Sayan-Altai: tiger/panther, lion, griffin, lion-dog, lion-human, wolf?, camel, deer, horse?, and dragon. The author identifies the sources of the images, the specifics of the iconography, and the geography of the cultural impact that influenced the evolution of the images in Sayan-Altai art. On the whole it is possible to say that the art was syncretic, whereas the cultural impact came from the south-west and the south-east. The former appears to have been predominant, and the conclusion is supported by the data from the study of the region’s medieval petroglyphs.