news

low water in the Amazon
Record low water reveals petroglyphs in Brazil
by Stephen Alvarez|November 4, 2023|news
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.
Ancient Art Archive in the Ada News
Education Activity in Ada, OK
by ancientartarch|April 3, 2023|Mississippian, news
It’s a wonderful opportunity to share this collective history with kids who are descendants of the Mississippian tribes,” Mater said. “But to non-native kids as well. This is part of American history. Hopefully this kind of sparks their imaginations. It gets people kind of asking larger questions, and appreciating the cultural history and legacy that we come from
Art Beneath Our Feet
Art Beneath Our Feet
by Stephen Alvarez|February 14, 2023|news, Uncategorized
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
Rock Eagle Effigy Mound
Updates to our public rock art sites
by Stephen Alvarez|October 27, 2022|geoglyph, news, Rock Art
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.
Stephen Alvarez works in an unnamed cave
Native American Cave Art Over 1000-Years-Old Revealed by 3D Scans
by Gregory Crouch|May 3, 2022|age, cave art, Native American, news, North America, petroglyph, Rock Art, unnamed cave, Woodland
Giant Cave Art images discovered using 3D modeling. This expands our knowledge of the Woodland Culture world view.
Serranía de la Lindosa, Columbia
Are the Serranía de la Lindosa paintings 12,000 years old?
by ancientartarch|March 8, 2022|age, news, Painting, Paleolithic, pictograph, Rock Art
Are the Serrania de la Lindosa Colombia paintings 12,000 years old? They could be but why are they so well preserved?
Venus of Willendorf
Venus of Willendorf is Italian
by ancientartarch|March 7, 2022|age, Austria, Europe, Gravettian, Italy, news
The Venus of Willendorf, a 35,000 year old statue found in Austria has its roots in Italy
Rock Art in Texas Defaced
by Stephen Alvarez|January 17, 2022|news, petroglyph, Rock Art
Late last year vandals irreparably damaged a rock art petroglyph panel in Big Bend National Park. 2021 was a hard year for United States rock art with major instances of vandalism reported in Utah (here, here) and now closing the year in Texas. Anyone with information about the incident in Texas should contact the Big Bend National Park Communication Center at 432-477-1187. Detailed view of vandalism in Big Bend National Park, Texas photo via NPS The National Park Service reports that there have been over 50 instances of vandalism to rock art in Big Bend since 2015. Read more at Art News (here) and Texas Monthly (here). At the Ancient Art Archive, we believe that the only long-term solution to vandalism is education. We must build a long term and wide spread appreciation for the images our predecessors left written on the landscape. To that end we have built education...
Picture Cave Missouri Sold at Auction
by Stephen Alvarez|September 15, 2021|news, pictograph, Rock Art
Picture Cave Missouri, the Mississippian era ceremonial cave near St Louis, containing some of the most incredible pictographs in North America has sold at auction for $2.2 million to bidders who wish to remain anonymous. There is no word on what plans the new owners have for this cultural masterpiece. Details about the Picture Cave sale are in this NPR story here. The 43-acre parcel was sold on September 14 by Selkirk Auctions. We are of course disappointed that the cultural asset was not moved to public or tribal hands. Picture Cave relates significantly to Cahokia and the red horn story. Red Horn in the form of the Falcon Warrior makes an appearance in Devilstep Hollow cave in Tennessee (see our 360 degree VR video with narration by Dustin Mater here). For anyone who would like more information on the art and significance of Picture Cave we recommend Carol Diaz-Granados...
New Age of the Cerne Abbas Giant Geoglyph
by Stephen Alvarez|August 8, 2021|age, geoglyph, news, Rock Art
An article in Sapiens lists the age for the Cerne Abbas Giant geoglyph in Dorset, England. The 180 foot long image is now thought to have been made between AD 700 and AD 1100 -the early medieval period. There are 30 or more chalk geoglyphs in Southern England, no word on their age.