Rock Art

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...
pictograph handprint in El Castillo
Dating Rock Art, How Old Is It?
by Joshua Alvarez|January 14, 2022|36000 BP, age, Altamira, cave art, Chauvet, Europe, France, How Old Is It?, pictograph, Rock Art, Spain
paintings in El Castillo in Spain are more than 40,000 years old, much older than previously suspected
What does it take to understand cave art?
by Stephen Alvarez|January 10, 2022|20000, age, cave art, petroglyph, Rock Art, Spain
a glimpse into the mind of the paleolithic artist
Pictograph panel in Buckhorn Wash
Pictograph 3D Model on the San Rafael Swell
by Stephen Alvarez|January 3, 2022|Barrier Canyon Style, Emery County, Native American, North America, pictograph, Rock Art, Rock Art Styles, Utah, Virtual Reality
Meta optimized virtual reality model of Barrier Canyon Style pictograph rock art on the San Rafael swell in Emery County Utah
The handprint pictograph is the universal symbol for humanity
by Stephen Alvarez|January 3, 2022|Bears Ears, cave art, pictograph, Rock Art, San Juan County, Utah
Handprints are the universal symbol of humanity. We have seen them across all of human history and on 6 continents
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.
Rochester Rock art Fremont Panel
Rochester Rock art panel vandalized!
by Stephen Alvarez|June 10, 2021|Barrier Canyon Style, Emery County, news, petroglyph, Rock Art, San Juan County, Utah
The Rochester Rock art panel in Utah has been vandalized
“Irreplaceable” 1,000-year-old rock art vandalized in Georgia
by Stephen Alvarez|April 7, 2021|news, petroglyph, Rock Art
The Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia is reporting that the Track Rock Gap rock art site has been vandalized (USA Today). Track Rock Gap is one of 3 heavily engraved soapstone petroglyph sites in the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. The sites are tied to the Cherokee and Creek nations. The best known of these soapstone sites is Judaculla Rock, seen here as a 3D model. https://sketchfab.com/models/ebfc3ec3eb3947ea92a7abb2d13060cb/embed Judaculla Rock, Jackson County, North Carolina by Ancient Art Archive on Sketchfab All pre contact story written on the landscape are irreplacable. Vandalism at Track Rock Gap is deeply sad. Rescources: Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Track Rock Gap page Judaculla Rock, NC Alan Cressler's photos of Track Rock Gap
Altamira Cave, Spain
Altamira Cave, Spain
by Stephen Alvarez|April 2, 2021|1400BP, Altamira, cave art, Europe, How Old Is It?, Magdalenian, Painting, Paleolithic, pictograph, Rock Art, Spain, Virtual Reality
Altamira cave is Spain is one of the most pristine examples of paleolithic cave art, but the pictographs discovery is rooted in controversy