Stephen Alvarez

Petroglyphs in Gold Butte National Monument
Nevada man sentenced to 6 months in prison for damaging rock art
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A Nevada man will spend 6 month in jail for defacing rock art in Nevada
low water in the Amazon
Record low water reveals petroglyphs in Brazil
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Record low water in the Rio Negro of Brazil has revealed petroglyphs that were previously under water. The story was originally reported by Reuters (go here to see the story and images) but has appeared in multiple news outlets. One of the best is in the Guardian (here). The images are not well studied but thought to be of similar age to other petroglyphs in the Amazon -1,000 to 2,000 years old.
Growing evidence of Neanderthal “Art”
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Claims that other species besides Homo Sapiens made art or used "symbolic behavior" have been met with skepticism. But evidence that Neanderthals did produce symbols keeps growing. In a paper published this week in the Journal PLOS One,
Art Beneath Our Feet
Art Beneath Our Feet
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February 28th, 2023 6PM Central Standard Time Franklin, Tennessee Why are people artists? And what do the first artworks tell us about ourselves? Those questions have guided National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez on a decade-long quest to understand art’s biological origins and how it connects our past to our present. His journey has taken him from the southern coast of Africa, where humans first begin making paint over 100,000 years ago, to the discovery of the America’s largest cave artworks in the Southern United States. This presentation is in person and in partnership with Williamson County Heritage. It is free but registration is required (here). February 28th, 2023 6PM Central Standard Time Franklin Theater Franklin Tennessee
A Dark Pathway
A Dark Pathway book review
Founding board member emeritus Dr Jan Simek has a new book about cave art in the Southeastern United States. Dr David Whitley gives us a detailed review. A Dark Pathway: Precontact Native American Mud Glyphs from 1st Unnamed Cave, Tennessee, by Jan F. Simek. 2022. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. xviii+195 pp., 85 b&w and 19 color figures, 14 tables, bibliography, index. ISBN 9781621907176, hardcover. By David S. Whitley Rock Art Research Institute University of the Witwatersrand “Mud glyph” and “1st Unnamed Cave” are not particularly inspiring terms that, at first glance, might promote reading this book. Yet these very earthy, workman-like words in the sub-title exactly belie the careful, compelling and in fact exciting study detailed in this volume. Anyone interested in the Native American symbolic and spiritual world will benefit from and enjoy this book; it should be required reading for those concerned with the indigenous southeastern US...
Rock Eagle Effigy Mound
Updates to our public rock art sites
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Looking for a weekend rock art get away? We've made some updates to our public rock art sites interactive map. All the sites on the list are actively managed for public visitation. Changes include a new site Rock Hawk, direction maps to Rock Eagle and Serpent Mound, better access to embedded VR models in Chauvet, Mt Irish and The Great Gallery of Horseshoe Canyon.
Snake Tailed Cat Petroglyph
Persistence of Place
Some places become important to humans and remain so across thousands of years and multiple cultures.
San Juan County Petroglyphs
Southern Utah Petroglyph Boulders
We have loaded a VR model of petroglyph boulders in Utah optimized for the Oculus headset.
Maori cave painting
Cave Art Images from New Zealand
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New Zealand is one of the last major land masses to be explored and permanently settled by human beings. Max Wisshak has added his photographs of those explorers artwork to the Ancient Art Archvie.
Maya writing in Naj Tunich Cave
Naj Tunich Cave Maya pictographs
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The Maya pictographs in Naj Tunich Cave rocked the world of Maya archaeology when they were discovered.