Rock art research

Despite their rarity in the overall rock art corpus, depictions of wagons and chariots are one of the most significant iconographic themes in the protohistoric rock art heritage of the Valle Camonica. Following a brief review of previous studies, this contribution provides an updated overview of all the attestations in the camunian area which, thanks to the aid of a distribution map, forms a clearly defined set of territorial data. The work then continues with an in-depth study of the four-wheeled wagons, introducing new evidence from ongoing research
at the Dos dell’Arca site (Capo di Ponte, BS). The four-wheeled wagon, also known as a “parade cart” and mainly found in early Iron Age funerary contexts, is then analysed from an iconographicperspective. Multiple graphic and real-life examples from national and international contexts arecompared to provide a contemporary and reasoned set of possible interpretations of the significance of this motif within the protohistoric figurative tradition of the Valle Camonica.

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo, el análisis de una figura en particular, que por el tipo de características que presenta, se considera inédita en la bibliografía arqueológica, es la representación de un personaje con atributos de ave (hombre-ave), que se encuentra distribuido en escasas cerámicas incisas de la cultura de La Aguada. Se analiza las características del mismo, referente al lugar que ocupa en el soporte, su distribución, vestimenta, tipo de adornos y de armas que presenta, así como su temática. También se consulta la iconografía de otros objetos del arte mobiliar y de manifestaciones rupestres que tengan relación con este tipo de figura. A través de este entrecruzamiento de datos, se intenta determinar la importancia y función que tuvo el hombre-ave para esta cultura.
 
Palabras clave: Cultura de La Aguada, Noroeste argentino, Hombre jaguar, Hombre Ave.

A investigação da arte rupestre pós-glaciar foi dominada ao longo do século XX por perspectivas que privilegiavam a análise, descrição e classificação de motivos individuais e seu tratamento estatístico, muitas vezes considerada como fim em si mesmo, um pouco à imagem da abordagem feita ao estudo de artefactos. O olhar retinha-se quase exclusivamente sobre as imagens inscritas nas superfícies rochosas, e só recentemente se lançou sobre a paisagem, incorporando arquitecturas, outras materialidades (e imaterialidades), estimulando desta forma, a procura dos contextos sociais, culturais e simbólicos

A partir del análisis de distribución y gradientes de variación en un conjunto de motivos geométricos documentados en el arte rupestre del Norte Semiárido de Chile como "círculos con apéndices exteriores paralelos" e identificados en las Sierras Centrales de Argentina, se explora la circulación de información mediante flujos visuales a escala macrorregional. Asimismo, se indaga en los mecanismos de replicación iconográfica como aproximación a los fenómenos de transmisión cultural, mediante sendos esquemas clasificatorios que proveen información diferencial, a la vez que se discute la posible direccionalidad implicada en tales procesos de selección y reproducción de imágenes a larga distancia. Palabras claves: procesos de copia, flujos visuales, circulación de información, direccionalidad, arte rupestre. Based on the analysis of distribution and variation gradients in a set of geometric motifs documented in the rock art of the Semi-arid North of Chile as "circles with parallel external appendages", and also identified in the central Sierras de Argentina, this study explores the circulation of information through visual flows on a macroregional scale. As an approach to cultural transmission phenomena, it examines the mechanisms of iconographic replication, using various classification schemes that provide differential information, while also discussing the possible directionality involved in such long-distance processes of image selection and reproduction.

El estudio arqueológico se centra en la comunidad de Santo Domingo (Acopia, Acomayo, Cusco) durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1450 d.C.), analizando la distribución y emplazamiento de estructuras arquitectónicas. El objetivo principal es comprender la organización social, económica y política de las culturas locales antes y después de la expansión inca.

In ancient prehistoric times, early humans learned to control fire, thereby transforming their relationship with the world around them. Light played a central role in the advent of humanity, not only as a vital element for survival, but also as a powerful tool for development, enabling the exploration of new environments for which a light source is essential.

PT: O capítulo “As Pinturas Rupestres do Lajedo de Soledade” apresenta os principais painéis decorados que integram o enclave arqueológico do sítio, a partir de uma abordagem fenomenológica que privilegia a relação entre arte rupestre e materialidade da formação cárstica local. O estudo evidencia composições inéditas de pinturas rupestres, oferecendo novas interpretações sobre a dimensão simbólica e cultural do Lajedo de Soledade e ampliando o conhecimento disponível acerca do patrimônio arqueológico do semiárido potiguar.

EN: The chapter “The Rock Paintings of the Lajedo de Soledade” introduces the main decorated panels that compose the archaeological enclave of the site, adopting a phenomenological approach that emphasizes the relationship between rock art and the materiality of the local karst formation. The study highlights previously unpublished compositions of rock paintings, offering new interpretations of the symbolic and cultural dimensions of the Lajedo de Soledade, while expanding the available knowledge on the archaeological heritage of Brazil’s semi-arid region.

PT: A obra coletiva dedicada ao Lajedo de Soledade, situado no município de Apodi (RN), reúne diferentes perspectivas sobre este importante sítio arqueológico, geológico e paleontológico do semiárido nordestino. O livro busca sistematizar e divulgar conhecimentos ainda dispersos acerca do patrimônio cultural e natural local, destacando sua relevância simbólica e científica. Estruturada em quatro blocos temáticos, a publicação apresenta: (i) uma introdução ao enclave arqueológico, com ênfase nas gravuras e pinturas rupestres; (ii) análises das dimensões geológicas e paleontológicas, ressaltando a formação física da área e a presença da megafauna pretérita; (iii) a trajetória de preservação do patrimônio, abrangendo marcos legais, iniciativas de conservação e desafios enfrentados; e (iv) reflexões sobre os significados cosmológicos e espirituais atribuídos ao Lajedo, incluindo depoimentos de comunidades locais que o reconhecem como espaço de memória ancestral. A diversidade de autores — pesquisadores de múltiplas áreas e moradores da região — assegura uma abordagem interdisciplinar e participativa, reforçando o compromisso com a valorização, a preservação e a difusão do Lajedo de Soledade como patrimônio cultural e natural do Brasil.

EN: This collective work dedicated to the Lajedo de Soledade, located in the municipality of Apodi (RN), brings together diverse perspectives on this significant archaeological, geological, and paleontological site of Brazil’s semi-arid region. The book seeks to systematize and disseminate knowledge that remains scattered, highlighting the site’s cultural, symbolic, and scientific relevance. Structured into four thematic sections, the volume presents: (i) an introduction to the archaeological enclave, with emphasis on the rock engravings and paintings; (ii) analyses of the geological and paleontological dimensions, focusing on the area’s physical formation and the presence of prehistoric megafauna; (iii) the history of heritage preservation, including legal frameworks, conservation initiatives, and ongoing challenges; and (iv) reflections on the cosmological and spiritual meanings attributed to the Lajedo, incorporating testimonies from local communities who recognize it as a space of ancestral memory. The diversity of contributors — researchers from multiple fields and local residents — ensures an interdisciplinary and participatory approach, reaffirming the commitment to valuing, preserving, and disseminating the Lajedo de Soledade as a cultural and natural heritage of Brazil.

The Talabre geoglyphs carry a millennia-old mem- ory that transcends their figures. They are remnants of the ancient trans-desert caravanners and have been silent witnesses to all subsequent history up to the present day. In this work, we present part of their becoming to the present, including their recent ‘restoration’.

| ISBN: FALTA ARKEOS é uma série monográfica, com edição de pelo menos um volume por ano, editada pelo Instituto Terra e Memória, que visa a divulgação de trabalhos de investigação em curso ou finalizados, em Pré-História, Arqueologia e Gestão do Património. A recepção de originais é feita até 31 de Maio ou 30 de Novembro de cada ano, devendo os textos ser enviados em suporte digital, incluindo título, resumo e palavras-chave no idioma do texto do artigo, em inglês e em português. Os trabalhos deverão estar integrados na temática do volume em preparação e serão submetidos ao conselho de leitores. A aprovação ou rejeição de contribuições será comunicada no prazo de 90 dias.

In the Great Night My Heart Goes Flying Owl-Woman, Healer, Tohono O'odham 1926 Afect Neuroscience, Metaphor, and the Journey of the Soul Afect neuroscience is the ield within which brain physiology merges with the psychological contexts of experience and its associated emotions. The term itself was developed by neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp whose studies of the relationships that exist between the human mind and its environment shed light on how the human brain generates emotion and inspires appropriate response. The foundation of afective neuroscience consists of the body's ancient self-stimulatory neurobiological system which evokes SEEKING, fear, rage, lust, play, and care. Of special interest to neurobiologists such as Erik D. Goodwyn, the SEEKING system is noted to create "intense interest, engaged curiosity, and eager anticipation" (Kindle 202) that Panskeep notes are associated with "feelings of environmentally engaged aliveness" (Panksepp 2005:47). In humans, these emotions manifest themselves in "pattern inding activity." As such, the process contributes to what Goodwyn identiies as "recognition of patterns in the environment which are closely linked with metaphor generation and hence symbol-making activity in humans " (Goodwyn 2012:).

The first point to clarify is the volume and the year published. There was obviously an initial intention to publish the journal more than once a year since, for example, the first volume is Volume 1, No 1. Since no example of a No 2 journal has been found, the journals will be described by volume only. The journal has not been published every year

Los autores presentan los resultados de cuatro misiones de campo a la zona de Umantiji y Umapalca, valle de
Zongo, Municipio de La Paz, donde fueron registrados tres sitios de pinturas rupestres. Los trabajos se concentraron en el
sitio Huaca Pata de Umantiji, que tiene numerosas figuras arcaicas y de fases posteriores. Las representaciones de camélidos
y cazadores tienen gran parecido al arte rupestre arcaico de la región de Macusani-Corani en el NO del Depto. de Puno, Perú.
Tentativamente se las adscribe al Arcaico Tardío. Por otro lado, las posteriores pinturas muestran diseños abstractos, mientras
en una roca de Umapalca aparecen figuras de llamas del Intermedio Tardío.

En octubre de 2018 se realizó el XI Simposio Internacional de Arte Rupestre en la ciudad de La Serena, Chile, evento que reunió investigadores de cinco países sudamericanos, México y España. En este artículo ofrecemos una evaluación preliminar del XI SIAR destacando enfoques actuales en los estudios del arte rupestre latinoamericano.

Reviews of the following publications:
Gardner, G. A., Eduardo E. Berberián, M. Andrea
Recalde y Esteban L. Pillado(†): El arte rupestre del
Cerro Colorado. 361 p. Editorial Brujas, Córdoba 2018.
American Indian Rock Art, Vol. 45 (K. Hedges y A.
McConnell, eds.). 202 p. ARARA, San José, Calif. 2019.

En noviembre de 2019 se realizó el Tercer Congreso Nacional de Arte Rupestre (3er CONAR) en Buenos Aires,
evento que reunió investigadores argentinos y de otros países. En este informe ofrecemos una evaluación preliminar y
deseamos destacar algunos aspectos y temas transversales evidentes en los múltiples aportes.

Desde tiempos remotos de la prehistoria hasta nuestros días, los camélidos han jugado un rol esencial en la economía y cosmovisión de los pobladores de los Andes. En esta contribución presentamos una introducción a las representaciones de camélidos en el arte rupestre del altiplano y los valles de Bolivia. Destacamos diversas facetas como la caza, la domesticación, el pastoreo, las caravanas y el mundo religioso. A la vez, intentamos una aproximación al desarrollo de estas representaciones desde el Arcaico hasta el Incario, la Colonia y República. Constatamos marcados cambios estilísticos entre las escenas de caza del Arcaico y posteriores que podrían pertenecer al Formativo Temprano. Por otro lado, las escenas de pastoreo y de caravanas de llamas tienen características estilísticas diferentes y contextos que pertenecen a los Desarrollos Tardíos y continúan en el Incario y hasta la Colonia.

González Vázquez, Natalia, García Atienzar, Gabriel, Santos da Rosa, Neemias, Villalobos Acosta, César, Gutiérrez Martínez, M de la Luz and Díaz-Andreu, Margarita. (2025) GIS, sight and sound. Exploring the rock art landscapes of the Santa Teresa Canyon (Baja California Sur, Mexico) as a case study. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 36, e00402, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2025.e00402 | ABSTRACT: This article explores the senses of sight and hearing in Santa Teresa Canyon, Sierra de San Francisco (Baja California, Mexico), where there is a large number of rock art sites of the Great Mural style. This rock art tradition is characterized by the presence of sizeable prehistoric murals depicting large figures. Departing from previous research in which the acoustical properties of the rock art landscape of the canyon were appraised, in this study we look at this in conjunction with visibility. Through the use of a series of tools and procedures implemented through GIS, viewsheds and soundsheds are modelled and assessed in relation to the surrounding landscape. The comparative analysis of emblematic, principal and secondary sites allows us to propose that these categories may have played a complementary role in the construction of a socialized landscape by the native communities that inhabited the Baja California peninsula. | SECTIONS: 1. Introduction / 2.The great mural rock art tradition / 3. Study area, selection of sites and site typology / 4. Viewshed: 4.1. Methodology; 4.2.Results / 5. Soundshed: 5.1. Methodology; 5.2.Results / 6.Discussion / 7. Conclusions

Over the course of human history, migration and adaptation have shaped the settlement patterns of Indigenous peoples across North and South America. In my ongoing research into historical lands of displaced communities, I have been documenting observations that build on existing archaeological and oral histories. Note: The original article detailing these findings has been gifted in full copyright to the Paiute Tribal Historic Preservation Office, with my role limited to research, documentation, and analysis. That article, complete with photos of the satellite imagery, can be found at zenodo.org/records/17103554

Continuando con la Serie Sitios Arqueológicos de la República Dominicana presentamos en esta ocasión el registro de Sitios Arqueológicos de la provincia Monte Plata, el cuarto ejemplar de esta serie.
Estos primeros cuatro ejemplares de esta Serie, así como los próximos que en la medida de nuestras posibilidades estaremos elaborando pretendemos darlos a conocer a través de la plataforma digital de academia.edu.
El objetivo principal de esta Serie es el de hacer de conocimiento y uso público para las presente y futuras generaciones de investigadores, especialmente en las áreas de historia, prehistoria y arqueología, información básica que les sirva de apoyo (antecedentes) para sus investigaciones de manera puntual y les ayude a reducir el tiempo requerido para este tipo de labor.
Sabemos que es un trabajo arduo y que no contamos con toda la bibliografía, documentos, informaciones exhaustivas, recursos, tiempo y apoyo necesario que nos permitan agilizar estas entregas, por lo que hacemos un llamado a todas aquellas personas que pudieran y quisieran colaborar aportando información que nos permitan engrosar y afinar estas documentaciones, ya que pretendemos que este sea un documento de registro que no sea estático sino de constante renovación (actualización).
Esperamos que a falta nuestra otros investigadores continúen la misma agregando los nuevos sitios arqueológicos que vayan siendo conocidos, así como sus nombres en este esfuerzo de divulgación.

RESUMEN La localidad de Susapaya presenta excelentes ambientes geográficos, con recursos vegetales y animales, que hace siete mil años atrás sirvieron como un escenario habitable en el desenvolvimiento de cazadores recolectores. Los recursos naturales que sustentan estos escenarios aparentemente también fueron predecibles como potenciales zonas de caza, al momento el área es una reserva natural dedicado a la protección del guanaco (Lama guanicoe), considerado como uno de los posibles recursos elegibles en las actividades cinegéticas del precerámico, quizás preferidos como presas de mayor visibilidad. La escena pintada en Qauranparqui, con las figuras de camélidos condice la importancia del área; además, en una relación simple en esta zona entre la amplia presencia de camélidos (guanaco) y las figuras representadas en las paredes rocosas de Qauranparqui, se propone que las mismas correspondan precisamente a la variedad del guanaco. Palabras clave: arte rupestre precerámico; cazadores; recolectores; figuras de camélidos.

Recent multi-disciplinary research in the Keep River region of Australia's Northern Territory has revealed a rock-art sequence distinct from either that of the adjacent Victoria River region (including Wardaman Country) to the east or the rest of the Kimberley to the west (fig 1). However, influences from both directions, as well as from the immediate and perhaps the far south are detectable in various parts of the rock-art sequence. A preliminary outline of the Keep River region rock-art sequence was published in 1997 (Taçon et al 1997). The overarching outline and sequence has not changed since but further field recording has incorporated dozens of previously unknown sites, which have fleshed out the sequence and added much greater detail. Currently, a total of 18,915 individual rock-art motifs have been recorded and analysed from 117 sites. These images provide a sufficiently robust sample size to compare changes in Before Farming 2003/3 (4) 1

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from a recent study of the Anbangbang Gallery in the Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) site complex of Kakadu National Park, Australia. Using new technologies alongside established methods for rock art documentation, we discuss the complexity and uniqueness of Anbangbang Gallery as an icon of Australian rock art. We have taken a comprehensive approach to our investigations, deliberately linking new technologies and scientific analysis with other archaeological and anthropological research methods. In particular, using evidence from a detailed site recording, oral histories, and pXRF analysis, we explore aspects of the site chronology, the nature of painting activity, and the retouching and repainting of earlier imagery. The findings force us to rethink the existing interpretative narrative for Anbangbang Gallery, the motivations behind previously held beliefs relating to recent rock art, and the implications this has had for ongoing conservation work in the region.

Lesotho like many developing African countries is in search of innovative ways to satisfY both its development and conservation objectives. It is generally accepted that meaningful and rapid development is possible only if it is planned and implemented from below by the people expected to be the beneficiaries of such development. Development is best achieved through decentralisation (Maro 1990). This dissertation explores the intersection between decentralisation, development and natural resource management. The Sehlabathebe National Park in the Qacha's Nek district has been the preferred study area because it is; firstly, home to Lesotho's first national park and secondly, there is ongoing activity by way of resource conservation in the area. The dissertation will engage with the public policy and development literature to explore the changing meanings of governance and development but more importantly, to fill a gap in the development, conservation and governance literature in the context of (rural) Lesotho. The dissertation argues that while both natural resource conservation and state decentralisation employ bottom-up development approaches, the two are 'driven by two differing ideologies, being conservation and decentralisation respectively. The dissertation therefore situates itself in the development literature with particular emphasis on conservation and governance.

We reintroduce and discuss a painted copy of 16 figures that George Stow recreated from what we refer to as Namahali Shelter. This shelter is located in a part of the Maloti-Drakensberg that is difficult to reach and has not been relocated since Stow's visit. His comments link the figures, their activities and material culture to the Mo'koma dance described by Arbousset as one of the most important among the San people. Stow's notes on the figures, the painted copy and the accompanying pencil sketches have not been presented as a cohesive record before. We introduce our own preliminary descriptive notes and interpretations, drawing from current understanding of the San world view. We demonstrate that the depictions from Namahali Shelter are exceptionally rich in conceptual elements that inform their narrative component, allowing us to recognise the interweaving of the 'real' with the 'nonreal' of some of the elements of the dance. We provide original insight into the possible role of women in healing and out-of-body travel in trance, the use of material culture (such as batons and bored stones), as well as concepts of fighting and death, in the performance of the Mo'koma dance. Our reading remains tentative until Namahali Shelter can be relocated and the original paintings recorded in their complete context.

This is the final report on the archaeological research conducted in the Colombian Middle Orinoco in 2018. The document was submitted to the Fundacion de Investigaciones Arqueologicas Nacionales (FIAN) and ICAHN in 2020. This uploaded version was revised in 2023 and 2024.  There are 5 appendices (A-E) not included here.

The article explores advanced image processing techniques for pigment discrimination in rock art paintings, emphasizing color separation using RGB (red, green, blue) and LHC Uv (Luminance, Hue, Chroma) imagery. It highlights the use of dimensionality reduction methods such as Principal Components Analisys PCA and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), with a focus on Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) for probabilistic classification of image elements. This approach, applied to the Chomache archaeological site on the northernmost coast of the Atacama Desert in Chile, reveals previously undetected motifs and details, offering a nuanced perspective in rock art documentation and analysis. This proposal reinforces the value of rock art panel not only as a finished product but as a process.

Ambiguous figures, as described in visual perceptual psychology, are
single pictures that contain several possible, mutually exclusive, motifs. When looking at a rock-art panel, petroglyphs at a first glance can seem to be distributed randomly, but when physically moving around on the panel new patterns can start to emerge. We discovered that some figures seemed to represent two different motifs depending from which angle they were observed. The figures thus became ambiguous. Some specific cases of images in South Scandinavian Bronze Age rock art—of ships, cows and circles—lend themselves particularly well to be analysed as ambiguous figures. Furthermore, we propose that these images represent some sort of narrativity, which needs to be understood in order to make a perceptual switch between different motifs in one picture. Using a semiotic approach, we describe the experiential requirements on the perceiver for seeing the different motifs.

This paper discusses rock art in southern Scandinavia as a multisensory format, where both sight and touch would have contributed to the comprehension of the images. From a structural semiotic point of view, we suggest that rock art can be construed as an organised set of features, such as visual and tactile elements, organised into heterogeneous unities with dynamic relations between elements that can change over time with respect to how they are experienced. We argue that in order to understand the rock art medium, it is crucial to take into consideration the multisensory interaction between the perceiver and the qualities of the rock art surface. The reason for including tactile elements in our interpretation of the conception of rock art is the way it was created: by hands interacting with tools and rock surfaces, as well as the spontaneous human tendency to explore the physical world through touch. One can identify key features in the images that would arguably facilitate tactile recognition, as well as be better explained from a multisensorial perspective. This includes the position of the images on horizontal outcrops, the moderate size of the images, the application of an orthographic perspective, the use of 'tactile markers' (ie crucial features having a strategic function for understanding images by touch), and the occurrence of incomplete images. A multisensorial perspective on rock art furthermore has semiotic implications. Incomplete images, for example, can be understood as indexical stand-ins for the whole imagined picture, ie as iconic indices. A multisensorial approach to Scandinavian rock art thus allows for new explanations for certain design choices, as well as a new understanding of how the images could relay meaning to a perceiver.

The rock art of southern Scandinavia is characterized by depictions of watercraft. The majority are close to the coast, and they have been the primary focus of research. Less attention has been paid to similar representations associated with two large inland lakes in southern Sweden. In this article we present the results of fieldwork around Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern and consider the relationship of this rock art to the better-known images on the coast. We explore the practicalities of navigating between the sea and the interior and suggest that there was an important contrast between an early eastern sphere extending to Lake Vättern from the Baltic and a later western sphere connecting Lake Vänern with the Atlantic.

In this paper, we discuss observations from fieldwork in northern Kenya which revealed solid evidence for a vital ongoing rock art tradition among warriors of Samburu-lmurran. They make rock art during their lives as warriors, typically between the ages of 15 and 30, when they live away from their villages, herding cattle and thus representing a specific 'community of practice'. Our findings reveal that Samburu rock art is made predominantly as a leisure occupation, while camping in shelters, as part of activities also involving the preparation of food. Typical images include domestic animals, humans (both men and women) and occasionally wild animals such as elephants and rhinos. Each age-set and new generation of lmurran is inspired by previous artwork, but they also change the tradition slightly by adding new elements, such as the recent tradition of writing letters and names close to the images. We conclude that even though rock art as such is not part of any ritual or ceremonial setting, it plays an important role as an inter-generational visual culture that transfers a common ongoing cultural engendered warrior identity through time.

Scandinavia holds the largest concentration of rock art (i.e. petroglyphs), created c. 5000-first century BC, many of them showing figurative and seemingly narrative representations. In this paper, we will discuss possible narratological approaches applied to these images. We might reasonably distinguish between three levels of pictorial narrativity: representations of (i) single events, understood as the transition from one state of affairs to another, usually involving (groups of) agents interacting; (ii) stories, e.g. particular sequences of related events that are situated in the past and retold for e.g. ideological or religious purposes; and (iii) by implication, master-narratives deeply embedded in a culture, which provide and consolidate cosmological explanations and social structures. Some concrete examples of petroglyphs will be presented and analysed from narratological and iconographical perspectives. We will as a point of departure focus on (i), i.e. single events, though we shall also further consider the possibility of narrative interpretations according to (ii) and (iii).

Researchers have long discussed whether Scandinavian rock art reflects narratives. Their interpretations have frequently been based on inspections of rock art panels combined with knowledge from ethnographic and historical sources. Here, the authors adopt a more focused narratological approach that takes the concept of (visual) narrativity into consideration and draws on studies by literary analysts, cognitive psychologists, and semioticians. Images of spear use in the provinces of Bohuslän and Östergötland in Sweden, given their diversity and indexical qualities, are well-suited to such a study. They reveal different kinds of indexical relationships, i.e. how the spears direct attention to possible targets, arguably corresponding to action scripts well-known to Bronze Age communities. Many spear images may be regarded as mini-narratives and mnemonic devices intended to represent schematized action sequences. The authors suggest that concepts such as iconicity, indexical relationships, scripts, and mini-narratives could be fruitfully employed in research on Scandinavian rock art and beyond.

This article focuses on Hagbards galge (in English Hagbard's gallows), a burial site in southwest Sweden that consists of two stone settings with monumental paired standing stones decorated with rock art. The combination of these different features into one burial site makes the monument unique in a Scandinavian setting. This article aims to contextualize the monument in a European Bronze Age framework. We do this by discussing the stone settings and the standing stones and comparing these to other similar monuments to get an idea of their dating. Furthermore, a new laser scanning documentation has been carried out on the rock art revealing new details and images. Our findings suggest that the monument was constructed in Montelius' period 4 (1100-900 BC) and that the rock art includes images of a sword and a shield which are atypical for Scandinavia but appear in Central Europe and in the British Isles. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the people controlling this site held a key position in a communicative network including both land-based and sea-based transportation routes. Altogether, this suggests the burial to be a manifestation of wealth based on international trade networks which were intensified in the twelfth century BC.

Deciphering the Mamari rongorongo tablet from Easter Island

This study deciphers the Mamari Tablet of Rapa Nui's rongorongo as a functional lunisolar calendar (~1248–1267 CE), applying Heath's (2000) method for the Phaistos Disk, which interprets spiral structures as cosmic clocks for Saros (223 months) and Metonic (235 months) cycles. Analyzing glyph sequences in lines Ca6–Ca9, we identified patterns tracking lunar phases and eclipses, with glyphs as ritual markers (e.g., 380 = astronomer, raised hands; 600 = birds, proto-nesting ritual). Dating, validated by correlation with visible eclipses (NASA, Meeus 1998) and Monte Carlo simulation (94% fit, p=0.009), confirms a pre-European origin ~1250 CE. Glyph variants function as "proper names," distinguishing ritual months/years (e.g., Hina 6 "Sacred Nesting"). Comparisons with Marquesan petroglyphs (~35% geometric, 25% anthropomorphic, 40% zoomorphic; Millerstrom 2017) suggest cultural continuity in Eastern Polynesia, with proto-avian rituals (~Mes 9–11, Manutara nesting) predating the late Tangata Manu cult (~1400 CE). Combining archaeo-astronomy and artificial intelligence, this work redefines rongorongo's origin, highlighting its indigenous astronomical and ritual functionality. 

This paper is a partial draft preprint of the research, available in Academia.edu for academic feedback.  The results presented are preliminary and subject to review before formal publication in a peer-reviewed journal.  We welcome comments from the academic community to enrich this study.

Keywords: rongorongo, Mamari, eclipses, astro-AI dating, proto-avian ritual, Eastern Polynesia.

Recent museum, archaeological, and observer record evidence suggests that North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were historically native to the watersheds of California’s coast, including San Francisco Bay. A wide variety of animals are abundantly represented in Native American petroglyphs and pictographs with their representations fulfilling intentions ranging from the mundane to ceremonial and mythological purposes. However, beaver symbols are poorly represented in California rock art and absent from the San Francisco Bay Area. A novel record, in the form of Western Message Petroglyphs, suggests that a beaver lodge was present in the late nineteenth century in the Alameda Creek watershed, potentially the last evidence of beaver prior to their extirpation in the region by the fur trade.

The research of Angkor Wat, Pompeii, Stonehenge can be best analyzed in terms of heritage and scholarship. In the article entitled The last garum of Pompeii: Archaeozoological analyses on fish remains from the "garum shop," and related ecological inferences by Alfredo Carannante guram was essential for the inhabitants of Pompeii it was local which is an excellent example of scholarship for an archaeological site for its time period. "Pliny states that the most in one of the most celebrated centres of production in the Mediterranean by osteoarchaeological, taphonomical, and ecological analyses." (Carannante 2019, 378) It gives a clear indication of the diet of the earlier Pompeii inhabitants. According to governments and scientists, a commonality is that all the sites are registered as endangered for preservation and restoration efforts.

O presente trabalho procura dar a conhecer o património cultural associado à presença do Urso-pardo (Ursus arctos) no espaço geográfico da Serra de Arga, nomeadamente os elementos arqueológicos designados por muros-apiários e a toponímia que lhe poderá estar associada. Inicialmente é feito um enquadramento sobre o atual estado de conservação da espécie a nível do contexto europeu e também do contexto ibérico, sublinhando-se igualmente a perspetiva histórico-ecológica da sua evolução, expansão e extinção no território nacional, muito marcada pela alteração do habitat e conflito com as populações rurais. O objetivo e núcleo da investigação, para a redação deste trabalho, centra-se na descrição (inédita) do património construído que poderá estar associado ao Urso-pardo na Serra de Arga, sugerindo-se a presença de 16 muros-apiários distribuídos entre as freguesias de Argela, Arga de S. João, Arga de Baixo e Arga de Cima. A identificação destes elementos, abre as portas ao conhecimento que se possui sobre a presença do Urso-pardo neste território do noroeste português. Também na redação deste trabalho, procurou-se sistematizar alguma da toponímia referente à espécie e à prática apícola, já descrita por Artur Coutinho (1997), a qual revela uma forte referência a ambos temas.

Which is a more efficient resource for searching the literature of "rock art studies," a web browser (e.g. Google, GoogleScholar) or the Rock Art Studies Bibliographic Database (available for open access at the Museum of Northern Arizona website?

Este artículo presenta un estudio preliminar del sitio de pintura rupestre de Casharumi (Paute, Ecuador).
Se registraron alrededor de 30 representaciones pictóricas, entre las que destacan motivos circulares y figuras antropomorfas,
posiblemente realizadas con hematita. A través del trabajo de campo y el diálogo con habitantes locales, se identificaron
narrativas orales asociadas a huacas, ríos, cuevas y entierros que otorgan significados simbólicos al paisaje. El estudio
resalta la importancia de abordar el arte rupestre desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar y participativa, considerando
tanto la cultura material como el patrimonio inmaterial en contextos andinos. Asimismo, se advierte que las pinturas
rupestres se encuentran sobre una columna rocosa en proceso de desprendimiento, lo que pone en riesgo la integridad
física y simbólica de este bien patrimonial. Finalmente, se sugiere el uso de tecnologías para documentar el sitio con
mayor precisión, detectar elementos no visibles y monitorear el deterioro del soporte rocoso.

In the 35 years since Jasmann published on seven pictograph sites in southwestern Montana, the data base has expanded to 50 recorded rock art sites in the Jefferson and Madison drainages. Distinctive motifs, such as various kinds of arched geometrics and line-and-dot patterns, distinguish southwestern Montana pictographs from those of central and western Montana. Pictographs in the northern part of the region occur on slightly protected faces of large granite boulders and pinnacles, while those in the south occur in shelters and cave rooms in areas dominated by limestone exposures.

Interpreting rock art is essentially an archaeology of the ancient mind. Each piece of rock art represents a thought, encapsulated within an imaginary wisdom sphere, symbolizing the collective ideas of the time it was created. Always begin your interpretation by assuming that the rock art scene is not an imitation of life, but a record of beliefs practiced long ago. It may seem overstated, but deciphering rock art requires knowledge of various regional subjects, including archaeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and religion. A lack of a background in these subjects may lead one to focus solely on the rock art visual.

"This little thing of ours"-beautifully ornamented tortoise shell containers filled with fragrant powdered herbs and plants-comprises an important part of Ju|'hoansi cultural practice in contemporary Omaheke, Namibia. Used for various purposes associated with potency and protection, the !'hurasi can be found back in time and throughout space, in the Kalahari ethnographies, ethnographic artifact collections, myths, narratives, and rock art, but it has seldom received any scholarly attention. In this article, we aim to document how aspects of a distinct San material culture are still made, used, and engaged with in the western Kalahari today, in ways that would, despite the popular belief in a general loss of traditions and ancestral knowledge in the area, be recognizable and meaningful for members of the ancestral communities a hundred years ago. Both ethnographic sources and present-day documentation strongly suggest, we argue, that the !'hurasi represents a continuation in practice, linking the Omaheke Ju|'hoansi with important San ontological concepts, and that they have played an important role in the preservation, resilience, and development of modern Ju|'hoan culture. In a first-of-its-kind study of San tortoise shell containers, the research data that form the empirical ground of our argument is gathered from ethnographic field work among Ju|'hoansi communities in Omaheke in 2022, as well as through archival studies in the ethnographic artifact collection of the Museum Africa in Johannesburg.