Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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RRRoooccckkk AAArrrtttiiicccllleeesss Issue No. 6: Autumn 2011

Dear All,

A slightly shorter issue this Autumn, reflecting on conferences, and updating on projects. The big news of the summer was the

discovery, in a Welsh cave, of markings believed to represent a reindeer (see p6). If you received RA via an email you will also

have a link to a short survey which I hope you will take a couple of minutes to complete. Readers accessing RA directly on the

Scribd website will find the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JLGKSFB. Your feedback and suggestions are always

welcome.

Kate

October 2011 kesharpe@live.co.uk

Contents:

New British Discoveries .......................................................................................................................... 1

British Rock Art News ............................................................................................................................. 2

World Rock Art on the Web: international news and links ......................................................................... 2

RAMP Launched ...................................................................................................................................... 4

BRAG Conference Report ....................................................................................................................... 5

24th Valcamonica Symposium: conclusions from the final session ............................................................. 6

Reindeers on The Gower ........................................................................................................................ 7

Inspired by Rock Art: your creative responses to cup and ring marks ......................................................... 8

Dates for your Diary: forthcoming conferences, day schools, and other events ........................................... 9

Rock Art Reads: new and forthcoming publications .................................................................................. 10

NEW BRITISH DISCOVERIES

Allen Banks (Cumbria) May 2011

This outcrop with over 100 cup marks was found by National Trust Wardens

David Almond and James Archer at Allen Bank, a Nation Trust property in

Grasmere. The house was once home to William Wordsworth, and also to

antiquarian and champion of the Lake District, Canon Rawnsley. The panel

fits the established pattern for rock art in the Lake District valleys, and is

only a short distance from a similar cup-marked outcrop near the National

Trust car park at the northern end of the village. (Photo credit: Peter Style).

Eccleshall Woods No.2 (Derbyshire) 2010

A second elaborately carved panel was identified in Eccleshall Woods last

year by John Gilpin. You can see the first example, found in 1983, on the

Megalithic Portal at http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=10278 These

Derbyshire panels certainly have a very distinctive style. (Photo credit: Joe

Brown).

Gower Peninsula (Wales) Sept 2011

Found by Dr George Nash in a limestone cave on the Gower Peninsula,

could these incised marks represent one of the earliest examples of rock art

in Britain? Find out more in a report from George on page 6 (Photo credit:

George Nash)

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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BRITISH ROCK ART NEWS

Idol Stone vandalised

Following the mindless damage to the Badger Stone as reported in April‟s Rock Articles, the nearby Idol Stone with its curious

lines of cups and enclosing grooves has sadly now been the focus of a similar attack. See Ilkley Gazette for a full report and

photo: www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/news_local/9138554.Anger_as_vandals_daub_dye_on_ancient_Rombalds_Moor_stones/

RAMP launched

Tramped for miles through the heather looking for those elusive panels? Not quite sure you‟re at the right rock, or need help

spotting the motifs? Just point your smart phone at the QR codes posted at three key sites in Northumberland and you can now

access all the information and images you need for a more rewarding rock art experience. Read more on page 4.

CSI: Rombalds Moor - field agents get to work

Following an extensive training programme and trial recording phase, the CSI „field agents‟ begin their main recording task this

month, on Rombalds Moor in West Yorkshire. Rock Articles will bring you updates as they progress with their challenge of

documenting over 400 carved panels using standardized recording forms, photography, and photogrammetry. A new method

developed by the volunteers will be used to create location plans based on rectified Google Earth images. For more information

see the project blog at csirm.wordpress.com.

New ‘AA’ volunteer rock art project in the North Pennines

The Altogether Archaeology project (with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Natural England) brings

together professional archaeologists and volunteers to focus research on the historic environment of the North Pennines. The

project has been running for 18 months and one of the final projects will be an excavation of a rock art site near Hallbankgates

in NE Cumbria. To find out more see www.northpennines.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=14474

WORLD ROCK ART on the WEB

News from Sudan, Spain, Australia, and Somalia.

St. George, spirals, and rock gongs in Sudan

An archaeological team in the Bayuda Desert in northern Sudan has

discovered 15 new rock art sites in an arid valley known as Wadi Abu Dom, 18

miles (29 km) from the River Nile. Many of the figures are carved into the

rock faces along small stream beds known as "khors" that flow into the valley.

Some of the sites included up to 30 carvings, said lead researcher Tim

Karberg, of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in Germany.

Some images appear to date to a period 1,500 years ago when Christianity

was spreading in Sudan. These include depictions of crosses, a church, and

one remarkable picture of a knight riding an animal with horns. Karberg

suggests this may be an image of St. George, the legendary soldier said to

have slain a dragon. Drawings of St. George are known from Sudan and texts

discussing him have been found within the country.

Image credit: Tim Karberg/Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster.

The team also found detailed representations of cattle that probably date from the late Bronze Age when northern parts of the

country were occupied by the Egyptian empire. Another set of carvings appears to be at least 5,000 years old and shows a mix of

geometric designs, including spirals and some “amorphous patterns which are not circular”, perhaps representing animal hides.

The team also identified several "rock gongs," large rocks that someone would have smacked a small rock against to make a

sound.

See full article and more images at www.livescience.com/14149-mysterious-ancient-rock-art-nile-river.html

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Photo credit: Diego Garate and Joseba Rios-Garaizar.

For an interview with Garate, and more images see:

newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/13/prehistoric-cave-art-

discovered-in-basque-country/

New ‘Altamira’?

Spanish archaeologists have uncovered a collection of cave

paintings in a well known cave near Mañaria in northern Spain.

The red paintings depict horses and human hands, and are

believed to have been painted about 25,000 years ago, at the

same time as the Altamira Cave paintings - the world-

renowned prehistoric paintings discovered in northern Spain in

1879.

"It was a chance finding," said archaeologist Diego Garate of

the Archaeological Museum of Biscay, in Bilbao. Concerned

that activity at a nearby stone quarry had destroyed much of

the cave of Askondo, Garate and Joseba Rios-Garaizar of the

Max Planck Institute set out to determine if any archaeological

material was still intact. Only on their way out of the cave did

they notice the paintings that they and many others had

missed before. Speleologists had worked in Askondo in the

1970s, and left their mark in the form of a bright red “3M7″

used to catalogue the cave, but missed the art just inches

away. National Geographic (May 13, 2011).

Australian Rock Art Register

A national campaign to protect Australia‟s rock art led by Griffith

University‟s Professor Paul Taçon was recently launched in

Sydney with warnings that in less than 50 years, half of

Australia‟s valuable rock art sites could vanish. It is hoped that a

new national heritage register of Australia‟s estimated 100,000

rock art sites will enable better protection from vandalism or

industrial and urban development. The register and digital

archive will be a joint initiative between Griffith University‟s

Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit and the Australian

National University‟s Rock Art Research Centre. It will have

strong links with Indigenous communities, museums, and other

universities. Collaborative fieldwork between Aboriginal

Australians, archaeologists and other scientists will take place

across Australia. (Past Horizons, June 01, 2011).

Rock art in Kakadu National Park. Image: safaris, Flickr

For more information visit the Protect Australia‟s Spirit website: www.protectaustraliasspirit.com.au

Read more at www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/06/2011/campaign-to-save-australias-rock-art#ixzz1WEyrOVh3

These paintings at Dhambalin are the only example of ancient images of sheep in the region

Read more about Sada‟s story and listen to an

interview at www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14592866

Somalia’s rock art treasures

Treacherous roads, landmines and deadly snakes – no wonder

rock art researcher Sada Mire employs guards armed with AK-

47s when she does her surveys! The only archaeologist

working in the region, Sada, now 35, fled Mogadishu in 1991,

aged 14, as Somalia descended into the chaos of civil war. She

now has a fellowship in the department of art and archaeology

at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is

head of the department of antiquities in the breakaway

territory of Somaliland, in the north-west region of Somalia.

The area has proved rich in archaeology, which Sada has been

recording for the last four years with a team of 50 helpers.

Sites include 100 rock art panels and she estimates that more

than 1,000 such sites still await discovery. Driving her forward

is the urge to uncover and preserve a cultural heritage that has

been systematically looted, both in colonial times and more

recently by warlords trading national heritage for guns.

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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RAMP Launched

„Calling‟ all rock art enthusiasts: get out your mobile phones and

head to Northumberland for a very different rock art experience! A

sunny day in July saw the launch of Rock Art on Mobile Phones

(RAMP), enabling visitors to access information and images in the

field at three of the most interesting rock art locations in

Northumberland via their mobile phones. The mobile websites are

designed to help you to locate the panels, explore the motifs, and

to reflect on them in new ways through diagrams, photographs,

and the spoken word. The launch event brought together many of

the participants who had contributed time and ideas to the design

process, and heritage managers who had supported the project;

Stan Beckensall was also on hand to answer questions. Credit: Newcastle University

Debbie Maxwell, part of the team from Newcastle University (funded by the AHRC) who developed the new approach said:

“RAMP has been a challenging project, there’s no easy solution to developing a cultural heritage

mobile phone experience in a rural setting. However, I hope we are in some way helping to enhance

enjoyment of the rock art landscape, and instil a sense of respect around these ancient carvings

through new technologies.”

You can take a look at the websites:

http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk – The main „desktop‟ website

http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk/r – Lordenshaw mobile website designed for use at Lordenshaw

http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk/w – Weetwood Moor mobile website designed for use at Weetwood

http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk/d – Dod Law mobile website designed for use at Dod Law

The project blog can be found at: http://rockartmobile.wordpress.com/

Stan Beckensall with participants at the RAMP Launch. Image credit: RAMP on Flickr

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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British Rock Art at BRAG 2011, Durham University

The British Rock Art Group Annual Conference took place at Durham University this year, and was extended to two days, to

accommodate an increased number of papers on British rock art projects. Rock art researcher Amanda Wintcher, who recently

gained her doctorate at Durham University [congratulations Amanda!] shares her thoughts on the British Rock Art session:

The session began with a fascinating presentation from Sarah Duffy (York University) about a new

multi-lighting technique she has been developing for the recording and understanding of rock art

[featured in Rock Articles Issue No. 2]. The potential of Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTM) was

illustrated through two case studies: Roughting Linn in Northumberland, UK and Ughtasar, a pre-

historic rock art site located in the mountains of Armenia. Sarah explained the process of creating a

Polynomial Texture Map (PTM), which is a compilation of multiple digital photographs created with

Reflection Transformation Imaging (RTI) technology. Using a mathematical method, a computer

program synthesizes the data from the photographs, compiling the information into one 2D

interactive file that, when viewed through PTM viewing software, reveals surface texture and fine

detail sometimes not visible to the naked eye. The recording can be carried out on a small budget

with an easily transported tool kit including shiny black billiard balls! The technique shows great

promise for future for rock art recording.

Rose Mary Cussen also addressed some of the challenges of rock art recording, taking us to County

Kerry in south-west Ireland and recounting her own personal journey of discovery into the

technology of photogrammetry. Rose-Mary demonstrated the value of the technique, particularly for

monitoring the condition of rock art sites. Her presentation highlighted the urgent need for high

resolution, objective recording, with images showing the dramatic deterioration of rock art at

Derrynblaha since the 1980s.

The theme of recording continued with a presentation from Gavin Edwards on the Carved Stone

Investigations on Rombalds Moor, a project which Rock Articles is following as local volunteers get

to grips with recording hundreds of carved panels scattered about West Yorkshire Moors. The

presentation also raised the interesting possibility that some sites may be the residue of other

activities, rather than intended as long-lasting visual monuments. Gavin emphasized the need for a

good, objective, baseline data to help us understand the factors affecting the deteriorating

condition of the stones and to help preserve them for the future.

Public interest in rock art has grown rapidly in the last few decades, as more information becomes

available via the Internet. One of the key challenges for heritage managers is responding to the

needs of visitors to sites which are often physically challenging, where panels are difficult to locate,

and carvings often hard to make out. Placing interpretation panels next to the carvings is usually

not an option due to conservation concerns and complex land ownership and management

arrangements. Kate Sharpe described how a team from Newcastle University have been addressing

these challenges using the information and images already available in the ERA database and the

Beckensall Archive to create websites accessible via a mobile phone [See RAMP launch in this issue,

p4]. Kate explained how the project had drawn on participatory and experiential design principles;

for example, through holding design workshops with local people to observe and explore how they

experienced and related to rock art and the wider landscape.

Pete Style from the University of Central Lancashire took us back to the archaeology of rock art,

with a look at carved panels and other prehistoric remains in the Lake District and the Isle of Man.

Pete suggested that the settings and motifs of the rock art from the Lakeland valleys may represent

a different tradition and a different chronology to those found to the east, which is reflected in the

association of rock art of the Eden Valley with monumental structures.

The session was concluded by Aaron Watson who transported us to a world of „stone, sky and

water‟ at Ben Lawers in central Scotland. Aaron described the work carried out around a distinctive

group of carved rocks on the moor overlooking Loch Tay, including excavation, pollen analysis and

geological survey. In contrast to the rock art at Kilmartin further to the west, that at Ben Lawers is

not closely associated with monuments. Rather, its character appears to reflect qualities of the local

topography; dramatic mountain ridges, stones, streams, and wide views overlooking the loch –

beautifully illustrated by some stunning photography. A particularly fascinating possibility is that

the reflection of the surrounding mountains in the surface of the lake invoked an underworld that

was meant to be viewed from the rock art sites.

A big thank you is due to the organizers and helpers at Durham University for an excellent weekend

of rock art. BRAG 2012 will convene in Bristol – Rock Articles will bring you further details when

available.

Carved panel at Scargill Low Moor , County Durham. Source: ERA website

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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24th Valcamonica Symposium, July 2011: Art and communication in pre-literate

societies

“Reading rock art leads to an understanding of people‟s mentalities,

perceiving the cognitive world of man in various epochs and cultures and

reconstructing the intellectual and spiritual journey of our species.”

Conclusions of the final session,

chaired by Emmanual Anati, July 2011.

The 24th Valcamonica Symposium was held in Capo di Ponte, Valcamonica, in July this year, providing

an international focus for discussion and debate on „prehistoric and tribal art‟. In the 1960s the first of

these meetings brought the rock art of this small valley in the Italian Alps to an international audience;

in 1979 the area was awarded the status of World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Participants at the 2011

event included students, scholars, museums curators, gallery curators, and art collectors; presentations

covered disciplines ranging from linguistics to psychoanalysis.

British rock art on the world stage

Contributors in Valcamonica hailed from 34 countries and five continents. Conspicuous by their absence

were both British researchers and British rock art. Should we be taking a greater part in international

conferences such as this? In their published account of the conclusions from the final session, the

organizers note that research on prehistoric art has two aspects: a global one and a vernacular one

relating to the local territory or ethnicity, both being of fundamental importance. “Universal aspects

help us to understand the archetypes, the basic elements of the human cognitive system; vernacular

aspects help us to identify the specificity of each ethnic group…What we try to understand is the

human spirit. Understanding what unifies humanity is no less important than understanding what

separates different cultures from one another.”

World rock art database?

In their concluding remarks the organizers note the need for “international cooperation in order to

establish a data bank of prehistoric and tribal art, whose aim should be the advancement of culture,

research and information. Extant data banks, already hosting thousands of images, can become nuclei

of cooperative aggregation, providing we revitalise dead or lethargic archives and make them active

and dynamic…A consensus was found that the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, with the largest

archive of world rock art and its biannual symposia is the location best suited for the world archive and

the ideal place for the collection, development and distribution of data and innovation in research…”

The future

Looking forward, the Symposia will encourage the development of “thematic conferences in between

Symposia, and initiatives by groups of participants to produce publications, to fund research projects

useful for the whole community working in the field of prehistoric and tribal art, to make progress in

the methodologies of structural analysis, and to spread professional information and general culture.”

Future Symposia will encourage a larger contribution relating to the ethnography of the art of

contemporary non-literate people.

The 25th Valcamonica Symposium will be held between the end of September and the beginning of

October 2013; the theme will be conceptual and spiritual expressions of art.

For more information and to download abstracts see www.ccsp.it/24Simposio/24Simposio_home.html

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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REINDEERS on THE GOWER

In September 2011, Dr George Nash was exploring the rear section of a limestone cave[1] that stands within the

eastern part of a dry inland valley on the Gower Peninsula. Located within a small niche on a near-vertical panel

covered with stabilized botryoidal calcite flowstone was a faint engraving of a stylized reindeer (Rangifer

tarandus), along with other yet to be identified marks. Fortunately, part of this unique engraving was covered

by a datable flowstone deposit. In this report George describes the discovery and the recording and dating work

now being undertaken.

The cave site stands within a dry limestone valley, approximately 2km

north of the present coast line and has been the focus of a number of

investigations over the past 150 years. The first excavation was

undertaken during the late 19th century when a large section of the

cave floor was completely removed. Recovered from it was an array

of flint tools, metal implements and pottery dating from the Upper

Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age, plus a significant Pleistocene faunal

assemblage that included (extinct) elephant, giant deer, hyena,

reindeer, woolly rhinoceros and wolf. Probably found within the

upper stratigraphy was a small collection of domesticates including

goat, pig and sheep; unfortunately and typical of this time, no

stratigraphic records were made.

Accompanying the later prehistory was evidence of human burial;

again no records of this were made. The majority of the lithics

appeared to have originated from the Late Upper Palaeolithic and

were similar to those found within trenching from a well-recorded

excavation made during the latter half of the

20th century. Recovered from this excavation were over 300 lithics,

many of which were diagnostically similar to flint blades and points

found at other so-called Creswellian[2] cave sites at Creswell Crags

and in Cheddar Gorge. In addition to this Late Upper Palaeolithic

assemblage were two tanged points that were identified as dating to

c. 28,000 BP suggesting that the cave had been subjected to a much

earlier occupation and at a time when the British Isles and most of

north-western Europe were gripped in an ice age (known as the

Devensian).

Against this backdrop, one of the team, along with former Bristol University students began to explore the cave in

2007 specifically to look for rock-art. The first visit resulted in the discovery of several cave bear (possibly Ursus spelaeus)

claw scratches that were made following a probable hibernation episode, and possible engraved geometric patterning found

within an antechamber, located north of the main gallery. Despite optimism within the team, the general consensus was that

the patterning would be difficult to authenticate was later written-off and considered a natural phenomenon.

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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The stylized side-on view figure, measuring approximately 15 x 11cm is carved using a shape pointed tool, probably flint and

has a number of characteristics that resemble carved reindeers found elsewhere in north-western Europe. The elongated

torso has been in-filled with vertical and diagonal lines that cut into stabilized botryoidal calcite flowstone surface. A single

vertical line appears to extend outside the area, between the torso and the antler set, representing a possible spear. Several

internal diagonal lines extend below the lower section of the torso, merging to from three of the four legs; the longest

measuring 4.5cm. Incorporated into the left side of the torso and continuing beyond is the head (or muzzle) of the

reindeer comprising a thin rectangular block on which three lines extend to the right forming a stylized antler set.

In the early part of 2011 the Open University team extracted three samples from the surface on which the engraving is placed

for Uranium Series dating, along with a sample from a section of flowstone that covers part of the reindeer. A single date has

revealed that this engraving was executed prior to a flowstone deposit which extends over the muzzle which dates to around

12, 572 + 600 years BP. A further sample was taken just left of the muzzle in July 2011. When dated, this sample will

hopefully correlate with the first sample reading and tie-down a more precise date of when the flowstone developed over the

head of the reindeer. My guess is that the reindeer is much earlier and could extend back as far as the Early Upper

Palaeolithic, between 16 and 30,000 years at a time when the British climate was hostile.

The assessment of the discoveries made so far is at an early stage. An accurate plan of the cave using 3D laser scanning

technology is on-going; this technique may tease out more rock art. As part of next phase of the project, the reindeer will be

recorded in greater detail and the hunt for more rock art will continue. Following this phase a management plan will be produced

in order to assess the archaeological potential and secure the cave‟s long-term future.

The team is indebted to Cadw for providing financial assistance and to the National Museum of Wales for providing essential

professional and academic support. We would also like to thank the various governmental agencies including the

Forestry Commission (landowners) and Countryside Commission for Wales (CCW) for their invaluable support throughout this

project.

The Research Team included Project leader and prehistoric rock art specialist Dr George Nash (University of Bristol), Dating

team Dr Peter van Calsteren (Open University), Dr Louise Thomas (Open University) and Geomorphologist Dr Mike

Simms (National Museum of Northern Ireland).

[1] Unfortunately, due to the sensitivity of the discovery and its fragile ecology the site has to remain secret for the time-being.

[2] So named after Professor Dorothy Garrod in 1926 and dating roughly between 12,000 and 12,600 BP

INSPIRED by ROCK ART

Rock art inspires many different creative responses. If you have produced something rock art related and would like to share it with Rock Articles readers, drop me a line at kesharpe@live.co.uk.

I personally

reckon that all

cup and ring

carving must

be to do with

religion,

ownership,

or sex....

Unfortunately

I never

understood

any of those.

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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DATES for your DIARY: Forthcoming Conferences and Events

If you have an event you would like to publicise here please send me the details.

October - December

University of Bradford AGES Research Seminars

This series of lectures includes a few gems, listed here, that may interest rock art enthusiasts! The lectures will be held at the University of Bradford, Phoenix Building (SW), Room SA0.08 at 5.15pm. For the full listing see http://www.brad.ac.uk/AGES/Research/index.php/AGES/Seminars

1st Nov: Grooved Ware and Stonehenge, Dr Oliver Craig (University of York)

8th Nov: An unusual Late Bronze Age barrow excavation and research project at Blansby Park on the North Yorkshire

Moors: 1960–2011, Dr Andrew 'Bone' Jones (York Archaeological Trust)

15th Nov: Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site - Recent, Nick Card (Orkney College UHI)

6th Dec: Recent work on the Neolithic of North Wales, Jane Kenney, (Gwynedd Archaeological Trust)

30th October

Archaeology in the Lake District 2011 (organized by the National Park), Keswick. This is the 10th anniversary of the conference and will have a special theme: Surveying the High Ground. Prehistoric upland archaeology in the Lake District and beyond. Speakers will include Rachel Newman, Jamie Quartermaine, Phil Newman, John Hodgson, and Peter Topping. Held at the Theatre by the Lake, Keswick. Fee: £12.50 (£18.75 including lunch). Parking voucher £2.60.

For details and booking forms see:

www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/index/learning/archaeology/archaeologynewsandevents/archaeologyevents/archaeologynews.htm

12th November

Yorkshire Archaeology

Annual day school held at Royal Armouries museum, Leeds by West Yorkshire Archaeology Services. The morning

programme will present the results of recent archaeological work in West Yorkshire, including historic buildings surveys, as

well as details of the recent work of the West and South Yorkshire Finds Liaison Officer. The afternoon programme will

focus on the archaeology of some of West Yorkshire's older 'industries', starting with a talk by a leading scholar on the

manufacture of prehistoric flint tools in the Middle Stone Age. Online registration is available. For more information contact

Nicola Wharton, tel 0113 2898 267, email nwharton@wyjs.org.uk, web www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/wyjs-archaeology.asp. The

cost is £15 per ticket.

19th November

Prehistoric social networks

Held by the Tyne-Forth Prehistory Forum at Great North Museum, Newcastle and concentrating on north-eastern England

and south-eastern Scotland, and exploring the nature and scale of social networks across the region in order to try and

understand past communities. For more information contact Rachel Crellin, email r.j.crellin@ncl.ac.uk. The cost is £FREE.

Lunch and refreshments provided.

23rd November

Archaeology and the public realm

Hosted by IPUP in partnership with The Department of Archaeology, University of York and held 1-6pm at Bowland

Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, Heslington East Campus. The conference highlights not only some of the depictions of

archaeology and archaeologists in broadcast media, but also explores the ways in which archaeology can be a truly

participatory, grass-roots, activity through involving community groups with excavation projects. Followed by a Drinks

Reception in the Humanities Research Centre. For more information contact Institute for the Public Understanding of the

Past, email ipup-enquiries@york.ac.uk, web www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/news-and-events/events/external/arch-public-realm/.

Issue No 6: Autumn 2011

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ROCK ART READS: New and Forthcoming Publications

Rock Art and Ritual Volume Two: Mindscapes of Prehistory by Alan

Walker and Brian Smith

Due April 2011, this builds on their well-received first volume and represents

three additional years of research and analysis by Alan and Brian, placing rock

art in a global context with references to Africa, Australia and South America.

Alan said: “The rock art we were looking at in volume one was speaking in a

language that really was lost as land division and organised society developed.

Something that was special to mobile groups who used the landscape and

understood the landscape in an almost organic way. While we can‟t claim to have

unravelled the whole picture, we feel that we really raised some issues that have

never been tackled before and which should open new lines of debate and

research.” (Malton & Pickering Mercury, Feb 2011)

ISBN-13: 978-1445601885 ISBN-10: 1445601885, 208p, Amberley Publishing (1 April

2011) Paperback. Not yet published - advance orders taken. Publishers price GB

£17.99

www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Art-Ritual-Mindscapes-Prehistory/dp/1445601885

An Animate Landscape: Rock Art and the Prehistory of Kilmartin,

Argyll, Scotland by Andrew Meirion Jones, Davina Freedman, Blaze O'Connor,

Hugo Lamdin-Whymark, Richard Tipping and Aaron Watson

From the Oxbow website: “An Animate Landscape contains the results of a major

research project that included excavations of two sites, Torbhlaren and Ormaig,

and the analysis of radiocarbon dates to produce a more coherent chronological

context, as well as taking a broader interpretative approach to the landscape.

The book argues that the rock art is an active part of the process of socialising

the landscape, in which the landscape became more organised from the Late

Neolithic onwards, and that this organised landscape relates to broader

cosmological concerns. The book is richly illustrated with colour drawings and

photographs done by a series of artists to produce a unique visual record of the

rock art and its place in the landscape, alongside more traditional archaeological

enquiry.”

ISBN-13: 978-1-905119-41-7 ISBN-10: 1-905119-41-0, 400p, 127 col & 44 b/w illus

(Windgather Press, 2011)

Paperback. Not yet published - advance orders taken. Publishers price GB

£38.00, Oxbow Price GB £30.95

www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/91134

Introduction to Rock Art Research by David S Whitley

From the Oxbow website: “...Although many in-depth studies have been made of particular sites, or rock art `types', there are few basic guides to the subject for those with no prior knowledge. In this book David Whitley presents a basic, clearly written introduction to rock art research which advocates an integrated approach that includes much more than fieldwork. Although Whitley does discuss fieldwork practices, he places equal emphasis on theory, method, analytical techniques and interpretation. A range of issues, some of which have been controversial over the past twenty years, are covered including dating techniques, the use of ethnography, photography, tracing and drawing, neuropsychological approaches and interest in shamanic practices and altered states of consciousness...The second edition contains additional material on mapping sites, ethnographic analogy, neuropsychological models and Native American consultation.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59874-611-2 ISBN-10: 1-59874-611-1, 256p, b/w illus (Left

Coast Press 2005, 2nd ed 2011)

Paperback: GB £23.50; Hardback: GB £74.50

www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/45909