Rock Art (Archaeology)

Barnett, T. and Díaz-Andreu, M. 2005. Knowledge capture and transfer in rock art studies: result of a questionnaire on rock art decay in Britain. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 7: 35-48.

by Marga Díaz-Andreu

Several thousand prehistoric rock art sites are known in Britain, yet the degree of preservation of these engravings... more Several thousand prehistoric rock art sites are known in Britain, yet the degree of preservation of these engravings remains a poorly researched and undervalued aspect of the historic environment. Our lack of knowledge has severe implications for how we interpret the rock art sites and how we conserve and manage them. The ongoing ‘Fading Rock Art Landscapes’ project aims to address this gap in our knowledge by gathering information on the rate and nature of decay in prehistoric engravings. As part of the project, a questionnaire was distributed to a number of individuals who, for up to thirty years, have been visiting and recording rock art and who have a detailed knowledge of the sites, how they have changed over time and the types of threat to which they are exposed. In particular, the questionnaire aimed to capture individuals' perceptions of how three groups of agents (physical/chemical, animal, human) influenced the degradation of the engravings. The synthesized results reveal common perceptions of a duality in the rate and nature of decay, with a slow background level of erosion caused by physical and chemical agents, over which is superimposed a rapid, variable degradation from the impact of humans and animals.

2004 - Le site de Tondiédo à Markoye (Burkina Faso). Élaboration d'un modèle théorique de l'art rupestre protohistorique du Sahel burkinabé

by Marc Jarry

BARBAZA M., JARRY M. – Le site de Tondiédo à Markoye (Burkina Faso). Élaboration d'un modèle théorique de l'art rupestre protohistorique du Sahel burkinabé. Revue Sahara, n°15., p.83-96, 14 fig.

Tondiedo, a rock art site dating back to the very end of the Iron Age, was discovered in the Markoye area of Burkina... more Tondiedo, a rock art site dating back to the very end of the Iron Age, was discovered in the Markoye area of Burkina Faso in west Africa. A characteristic feature of this site is the distribution of engravings on the scale of a rocky hill of limited size. The study of these engravings was undertaken in 1997, right at the start of our work in the Sahel. Gradually, the whole system of engravings, clearly of Libyco-Berber inspiration, revealed an original pattern of internal organisation. Teh remarkable Tondiedo ensemble, unpublished to this day, is therefore an emblematic case and was selected as a model for the clearness of its rupestrian structure. The main panel, established in in a suggestive place, is surrounded by an orderly variety of engravings organized in a halo shape. Image processing via computer graphics confirms the arrangements with clarity and precision. Neighbourins sites confirm, to an extent, the suggested organisation pattern.

2005 - L'art rupestre du Sahel burkinabé. Eléments pour une approche thématique, structurelle et chronologique

by Marc Jarry

BARBAZA M., KOTE L., JARRY M., MILLOGO K. A. – L'art rupestre du Sahel burkinabé. Eléments pour une approche thématique, structurelle et chronologique. In : Martzluff M. (ed.) Actes du colloque en hommage à J. Abélanet : "Roches ornées - roches dressées",  Perpignan, 24-26 mai 2001, Association Archéologique des P.-O. et Presses Universitaires de Perpignan, Perpignan : 2005, p. 59-78, 21 fig.

The achaeological properties of the site of Markoye (Burkina Faso) let at once hope that can be applied a method of... more The achaeological properties of the site of Markoye (Burkina Faso) let at once hope that can be applied a method of global study associating, in the same thought process, archaeology of the human establishments and archaeology of the associeted decorated rocky surfaces : their mutual object is manifestly established by two inseparable facets of the same human protohistorique reality.
In the field, while the excavations bring to light material vestiges translating an important human presence into several different places, the methodical statements of rock art create the complexity of nimerus and diverse plastic realizations. Seemingly stereotypical and monotonous, this art is the gladly simplstic and abstract graphics, created unsuspected modalities of organization. The peculiarities which this article suggests creating, are so many direct testimonies on the essential nature of this art. They will join themselves to the data of field arceology ti succeed in a knowledge better of its creators.

Neolithic Rock Art In Context: Landscape History and the Transition to Agriculture In Mediterranean Spain

by Sarah McClure

LenssenErz 2004 CUP

by Tilman Lenssen-Erz

2008 Space&Discourse

by Tilman Lenssen-Erz

Lenssen-Erz&Linstädter_2009_landscape_method_Springer

by Jörg Linstädter

Landscape archaeology as an analytical concept is not really new. Compilations of publications on this issue list... more Landscape archaeology as an analytical concept is not really new. Compilations of publications on this issue list several hundred references. Although they are far from being unanimous in their understanding of landscape archaeology, there is a common theme among almost all approaches, that is, the use of the term “landscape” as an analytical concept for a comprehensive understanding of the relation of prehistoric people to their environs, how they acted upon it, and, for a lesser number of papers, how they were cognizant of it. To clarify its full potential the term “landscape” is defined here and an epistemological frame developed for its implementation. The aim is to grasp the complex network of relations between resources, use of resources, and basic human needs in one comprehensive representation. This approach helps to work through all relevant issues in a checklist and facilitates comparisons between different case studies. Case studies from northern and southern Africa demonstrate the value of such an approach

Czerniewicz_etal_2003_Gebel Uweinat

by Jörg Linstädter

Over the last hundred years the Djebel Uweinat was theobjective of several expeditions, most of them being drivenby... more Over the last hundred years the Djebel Uweinat was theobjective of several expeditions, most of them being drivenby the intention to find new rock art sites. These explorersmostly stayed at the base of the mountain where the majorityof the currently known rock art sites were found. During their two recent visits, the members of the ACACIA team focused their interest on the upper part of the Uweinat and on its smaller, mostly neglected neighbouring mountain, the Djebel Arkenu. In the upper part of the Djebel Uweinat artefacts and some stone arrangements were found. While no rock art sites were spotted in the upper part, we discuss the function of stonearrangements and rock art from the lower reaches in viewof the semiotic processes in which they may have operated.The presentation of the rock art sites found at Djebel Arkenuwill also be fitted into an overview of how we interpret thecognitive map of people who used to live in the environment of the two mountains. Furthermore, some background infor-mation concerning the landmarking function of the archaeo-logical finds is given which could be a useful indicator of thecharacter of mobility as well as of perception of landscapeamong prehistoric people

Čabbe

by Bertrand Poissonnier

published in S. Uhlig (ed.) 'Encyclopaedia Ethiopica', 1. Wiesbaden, 2003: 660.

Famous Rock Art Site in Ethiopia Famous Rock Art Site in Ethiopia

HUYGE D. & CLAES W., 2012, El-Hosh et Qurta: sur les traces du plus ancien art égyptien, in: Bavay L., Bruwier M.-C., Claes W. & De Strooper I. (éds.), Ceci n’est pas une pyramide… Un siècle de recherche archéologique belge en Egypte, Leuven: Peeters, p. 32-45.

by Wouter Claes

HUYGE D. & CLAES W., 2012, El-Hosh en Qurta: de oudste Egyptische kunst op het spoor, in : Bavay L., Bruwier M.-C., Claes W. & De Strooper I. (eds.), Ceci n’est pas une pyramide… Een eeuw Belgisch archeologisch onderzoek in Egypte, Leuven: Peeters, p. 32-45.

by Wouter Claes

An explanation to the depictions of humans touching animals. - Sahara, 22, 2011: 176.

by Julien d'Huy

www.saharajournal.com/

New evidence for a closeness between the Abu Râ’s shelter (Eastern Sahara) and Egyptian beliefs. - Sahara, 20, 2009: 125-126.

by Julien d'Huy

Sahara, 20, 2009: 125-126.
www.saharajournal.com/

From the Sahara to the Nile - The low representation of dangerous animals in the rock art of the Libyan desert could be linked to the fear of their animation. - Translated by Geoffrey Kolbe. - Les Cahiers de l'AARS, 13, 2009: 85-98.

by Julien d'Huy

Traduction de l'article "Du Sahara au Nil - La faible représentation d'animaux dangereux dans l'art rupestre du désert Libyque pourrait être lié à la crainte de leur représentation" - Cahiers de l'AARS 13: 85-98.

English translation of the paper "Du Sahara au Nil - La faible représentation d'animaux dangereux dans l'art rupestre du désert Libyque pourrait être lié à la crainte de leur représentation" - Cahiers de l'AARS 13: 85-98.

Fleeing the increasing aridity of their territory in order to reach the more favourable regions of the Nile valley,... more Fleeing the increasing aridity of their territory in order to reach the more favourable regions of the Nile valley, perhaps following what was to become the Abu Ballas track, the inhabitants of the Djebel el-‘Uweinat and the Gilf Kebir may have taken with them their fear of representing dangerous animals.

Iconical signs, indexical relations: Bronze Age stelae and statue-menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula

by Marta Diaz-Guardamino Uribe

Journal of Iberian Archaeology, 2008 (English)

The adoption of theories of social action in Archaeology has opened up the way to consider the mutually constitutive... more The adoption of theories of social action in Archaeology has opened up the way to consider the mutually constitutive relationship between the social and the material. In this context, Peircean semiotics – a theory of meaning embedded in experience – helps understanding the unfolding of this meaningful relationship in the past and the present. The case of Bronze Age (ca. 2200-825 BC) decorated stelae and statue-menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula is illustrative. They have been generally conceptualized as static containers of symbolic meanings. But understanding stelae and statue-menhirs as an integral and active part of social relations entails addressing them as signs of practices historically situated within a wider complex network of practices structuring social relations in a meaningful way. Stelae and statue-menhirs suggest multiple indexical relations that can be taken as evidence for social practices related to the structuration of collective identities, memories and places. This approach contributes to a renovated understanding of the historicized relationships between people and this type of remains.

"Iconografía, lugares y relaciones sociales: Reflexiones en torno a las estelas y estatuas-menhir atribuidas a la Edad del Bronce en la Península Ibérica". [Iconography, places and social relations: Reflections on stelae and statue-menhirs attributed to the Bronze Age in the Iberian Peninsula]

by Marta Diaz-Guardamino Uribe

(Spanish) published in "Estelas e Estátuas-menir: da Pré à Proto-história", edited by R. Vilaça, 2011

Iberian Bronze Age stelae and statue-menhirs reproduce icons and iconographic conventions that in some cases display... more Iberian Bronze Age stelae and statue-menhirs reproduce icons and iconographic conventions that in some cases display wide geographical distributions. In this paper I reflect on the social mechanisms that might have played a role in the configuration of this situation. To that end I revise previous interpretations and analyze two complementary aspects that might contribute to the interpretation of this question. On the one hand, I consider the, generally, complementary geographical distribution of metallic referents (specially weapons and necklaces/torcs) and their representations in stelae and statue-menhirs. On the other hand, I examine some of the places in which stelae and statue-menhirs were documented, their context. Brought together, these data lead me to suggest that stelae and statue-menhir were mechanisms through which social ties were reproduced or reinforced at varied temporal and spatial scales, and that they played a relevant role as mechanisms of social reproduction at a local scale.

"Materialidad y Acción Social: el caso de las estelas decoradas y estatuas-menhir durante la Prehistoria peninsular". [Materiality and Social Action: the case of decorated stelae and statue-menhirs during Prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula]

by Marta Diaz-Guardamino Uribe

(Spanish) VIII Congresso Internacional sobre Estelas Funerarias, Museu Nacional de Arqueología, Lisboa, 2006

Nuestra hipótesis de partida considera que las estelas y estatuas-menhir prehistóricas tuvieron un significado... more Nuestra hipótesis de partida considera que las estelas y estatuas-menhir prehistóricas tuvieron un significado eminentemente ideológico y que, lejos de ser meros reflejos pasivos de estructuras ideológicas, las estelas y estatuas-menhir fueron mecanismos de acción social capaces de reproducir o modificar normas sociales. Nos inspiramos en las “teorías de acción social” desarrolladas en las ciencias sociales a partir de los años 1960´s, para elaborar esta hipótesis de trabajo que, de momento, está limitada por la escasez de
documentación relativa a las prácticas sociales o rituales específicas vinculadas a las estelas y estatuas-menhir. Sin embargo, una aproximación de este tipo sigue siendo posible si tenemos en cuenta una serie de recursos materiales, tales como los soportes, la
iconografía y el lugar de implantación. Son características formales susceptibles de análisis arqueológico sistemático, ya que son aspectos materiales cuantificables. La reproducción normativa de dichos aspectos es interpretada como mecanismo de reproducción estructural, mientras la varibilidad formal es interpretada en términos de acción social. Los datos disponibles sugieren que estelas y estatua-menhir estaban vinculadas a lugares de carácter ritual que pueden ser considerados auténticas arenas de acción social en las que las relaciones sociales eran reproducidas o innovadas. En este contexto, las estelas y estatuas-menhir, junto a otros elementos de
la cultura material, jugaron un papel activo que es necesario valorar.

"Estelas decoradas del Bronce Final en la Península Ibérica: datos para su articulación cronológica". [Late Bronze Age decorated stelae in the Iberian Peninsula: Data for their chronological articulation]

by Marta Diaz-Guardamino Uribe

print-proof (Spanish) to be published In Sidereum Ana II, El río Guadiana en el Bronce Final, edited by J. Jiménez Ávila. CSIC, Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida, Anejos de Archivo Español de Arqueología, in press, 2010

The aim of this paper is to revise the chronological articulation of the decorated stelae attributed to the Late/Final... more The aim of this paper is to revise the chronological articulation of the decorated stelae attributed to the Late/Final Bronze Age in the Iberian Peninsula, resorting on recent publications and data. The available chronological references provide a framework for long-term analysis. In this context, the analysis and consideration of particular cases contributes to the long term, while provides interesting data to explore the chronological articulation of stelae at scales of higher resolution.

Seductive Similarities: A Comment on Gerum, Trans-Atlantic Contacts and Analogies

by Thore Bjørnvig

Co-authored with Jesper Nielsen and Toke S. Reunert. In Adoranten: Journal of the Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art, 2009: 71-80.

An argument against the notion that the Swedish Gerum rock art image from the Bronze Age was a result of contact with... more An argument against the notion that the Swedish Gerum rock art image from the Bronze Age was a result of contact with America.

La representación de armas y sus correlatos metálicos.

by Beatriz Comendador Rey

1997. En, Los motivos de fauna y armas en los grabados prehistóricos del continente europeo. Costas, J., Hidalgo, J.M. (Coords.), páginas: 113-130. Editorial: Asociación Arqueológica Viguesa. Vigo.