RARO-Rock Art RecOrder

Freeware database software for cataloguing rock art figures (Win only, unless using a virtualized OS). After a long period of use limited to the recording and cataloguing of rock carvings in the Alps – particularly in Valcamonica and the Western Alps – the time has come to share the database software specifically designed for rock art. It is fully customisable and therefore suitable for cataloguing rock art from all regions of the world. Among its key features is the automatic generation of figure catalogues – both comprehensive and specific – based on a wide range of filters.

by Andrea Arcà

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RARO-Rock Art RecOrder

freeware database software for cataloguing rock art figures

(June 22, 2026)

The RARO-Rock Art RecOrder database software, developed specifically to manage rock art records, was used to catalogue the 2,041 figures of Naquane Great Rock (Valcamonica – I), one of the most significant Valcamonica engraved rocks. To mark its release as freeware, version 2.0 was compiled, featuring updated menu graphics and English translations of the output files. RARO Rock Art RecOrder was presented at the ARARA 2026 Conference (Great Falls, Montana – USA) on 28 June 2026.

RARO is a Windows executable; it can be used in Linux or Mac OS with Compatibility Layers or virtualised operating systems; it has been successfully tested on Linux using Q4Wine.

From this page, you can download the complete package (.zip file), which consists of a standalone executable file (.exe – no installation required), a set of database files (.dbf), some help files (.txt), index files, and system icons. Once the compressed file has been extracted, all the necessary subfolders will be created, including the ‘htm’ folder, where the images of the catalogued figures (‘htm>img’) and the output files (.htm) are stored. All RARO screens feature context-sensitive help, which is activated by hovering the mouse over the various items. Please try it out and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Download here the RARO-Rock Art RecOrder package
(RARO2-2026-ENG.zip, 9,6 MB; please wait for the antivirus scan to complete).

WARNING! The RARO.exe file (32-bit, Windows systems) was never distributed and is therefore not recognised by antivirus software, which will need to scan it before running it – this is only required the first time it is executed. Of course, it does not contain any viruses, malware, or Trojans.

Here is the presentation of RARO at the ARARA 2026 Conference (Great Falls, Montana – USA; full HD, 20′ 18″) on 28 June 2026:

 

Upon download, RARO is pre-populated with sample and fictitious data: a rock record (TST1) accompanied by 10 figures (TST.A1–TST.A10), complete with images (iconographic surveys and photographs) taken from the Great Rock of Naquane (Valcamonica – I; see here the virtual tour). This allows you to test its functionality in test mode. For practical use, you will need to add at least one new rock, accompanied by the corresponding figures.

RARO derives from RAD-Rock Art Database, a DOS application, which in turn is derived from EUGA-Central Alps Rock Art Archive; EUGA was compiled to catalogue the more than 5,000 figures on the Rupe Magna in Grosio (Valtellina – Italy).

The RARO.exe file is only 5 MB in size. In some respects, this is a case of computer archaeology: it is based on the old .dbf format and the equally dated Xbase-Clipper programming language, recently revitalised in a 64-bit Windows environment thanks to the open-source xHarbour project and the HMG graphical user interface.

RARO is fully customisable for each specific area of rock art, allowing you to personalise style definitions, figure categories, detailed chronology, and execution techniques.

The figure records are organised into alphanumeric fields, where you can enter values and descriptions relating to type, style, chronology, description, overlaps, and images (photographs and tracings).

RARO can handle images by opening and cropping them; .jpg files are automatically named and placed in the correct folder.

Its key strength lies in the ability to automatically generate the figure catalogue in .html format, with the option to apply a comprehensive set of filters to produce partial catalogues relating to a specific chronology or a specific type of figure. The .html files produced in this way can be easily exported to .pdf, thereby creating a series of general and specific rock art figure catalogues, already laid out and ready to be shared.

As mentioned, RARO-Rock Art RecOrder has been adapted for the Windows environment to catalogue the more than 2,000 figures on the Great Rock (Grande Roccia) of Naquane (NAQ1), within the Capo di Ponte Rock Art National Park in Valcamonica (I).

A monograph on this rock, La Grande Roccia delle Aquane, Valcamonica archeo-rupestre (Arcà 2025), has recently been published; a review of it can be read here, in the pages TRACCE Online Rock Art Bulletin.

It is also possible to ‘explore’ the Great Rock via the virtual tour: you are warmly invited to surf it!

Andrea Arcà
ORCID /0000-0002-9825-4775

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References

Arcà A. 2025. La Grande Roccia delle Aquane, Valcamonica archeo-rupestre, Edizioni del Centro, Capo di Ponte.