Rock Art Panels Research Articles

O conceito de mito aplicado à arte rupestre

A arte rupestre é abordada, aqui, a partir da Filosofia das Formas Simbólicas de Ernest Cassirer. Essa abordagem é) instrumentalizada pela teoria semiótica de Pierce e pela observação de que os painéis de arte rupestre constituem-se a partir de lógica generativa e ordenativa, muito próxima a do mito. O autor pretende, neste trabalho, contribuirpara aconstrução de um arcabouço teórico que fundamente a análise da arte rupestre.

Ascent to the sky. A shamanic initiatory engraving from the Burrup Peninsula, northwest Western Australia

A ‘neuropsychological model’ has been proposed which links rock art production with shamanistic experiences whilst in altered states of consciousness. The model claims universality, and hence this paper seeks to apply it to a rock art panel from the Pilbara region, Western Australia, in an assessment of its utility. Evidence of shamanism as practiced in Australia is gleaned from the ethnographic literature, entoptic motifs are identified in Australian rock art and an interpretation of the particular panel is advanced in the light of this. The potential of the model to amplify our understanding of Australian rock art is indicated.

A Dated Rock Art Panel Of Shield Bearing Warriors In South Central Montana

The use of traditional archaeological excavation to recover the tools used to complete a pictograph or petroglyph is one way rock art can be dated. Two sandstone abraders, used to smooth the rock f...

Recording Southwestern Rock Art Sites

Even though Southwestern rock art has been aesthetically appreciated and a number of good scientific studies have been completed, much remains to be learned from this unique cultural resource. Deficient recording has limited the study of this nonrenewable, rapidly diminishing data base. Therefore, a discussion of the types of field observations which have proven significant is offered with a goal of sensitizing recorders and encouraging perceptive observations. Photography and a number of other rock art panel recording techniques are described and evaluated. Photographic recording is emphasized as the most practical and accurate technique.

Using the Rock Art Stability Index to facilitate management of rock art in Wadi Rum, Jordan

The Wadi Rum Protected Area (WRPA) in Jordan, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an iconic desert landscape and significant for both its natural and cultural heritage. The most notable form of cultural heritage in the Wadi are the thousands of petroglyphs on the local Umm Ishrin sandstone. Tourist activity, however, poses a threat and potentially accelerates the decay of this resource beyond natural rock decay rates. Therefore, in an effort to better manage this cultural resource, a large sample of these rock-art panels have been examined by an international team funded under the USAID/SCHEP program, and scored based on the degree of decay they have undergone using the Rock Art Stability Index (RASI). RASI has five general categories that rate geological stability, rock decay processes - past, present and impending - and rock-coatings; the variables within each category are scored on a scale of zero to three, corresponding to “Not Present”, “Present”, “Obvious,” and “Dominant”. This method of scoring is suitable for use by experts and non-experts alike, and data collection can be conveniently accomplished using ESRI’s Survey123, a form-centric and field-friendly mobile application. Through the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) such as ArcGIS Online, these data can then easily be organized, analyzed, represented, and shared. In an effort to better direct attention to those panels that need the most immediate care, and to validate the RASI methodology, my research focuses on using statistical analyses of correlation to highlight any relationships between processes of decay.