Posted inAcademics Featured North America

Bird Petroglyphs at Three Rivers

This paper offers a selection of bird petroglyphs recorded at Three Rivers, the largest rock art site in the Mogollon Territory of southern New Mexico, North America. In this paper I discuss the several, often enigmatic representations of various birds at Three Rivers and I attempt at offering hopefully acceptable interpretations. In my opinion, birds (also at Three Rivers) functioned as messengers to the ancestors and deities that reside in the Upper Realm, and/or birds symbolised fertility, especially when associated with the Cloud Terrace.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America

Symbols on Top of a Pole in Rock Art

This paper describes specific petroglyphs recorded at sites in Peru (South America) and sites in New Mexico (North America). It concerns images of symbols that are found at the top of a vertically held pole. The symbol may be an object, a biomorph or an abstract pattern. The three areas that are being discussed have different types of images. For instance, poles with birds on top are most frequent at sites in Peru, while examples in New Mexico have poles often carried by biomorphs (absent in Peru). A careful attempt will be made to interpret the symbol-on-poles configuration.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America

The “Severed Limb” in the Rock Art of New Mexico

This paper describes several petroglyphs recorded at a few sites in New Mexico, Northern America, that represent isolated feet, legs, hands and arms, suggesting that those body parts had been violently severed from the human body, or – in some instances – from an animal body. There is no informed knowledge available and therefore the paper will only offer a possible explanation by comparing the severed body parts with imagery found at the Slaughter House at Cerro Sechín, an important ancient temple complex very near the Pacific Coast in northern Peru, and with some petroglyphs at Palamenco, not far from Cerro Sechín.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Landscape North America Rock paintings

Peekaboo, a Female-Male Rock Art Site, Utah

This study deals with the rock art site of Peekaboo, one of the many rock art sites in Salt Creek Canyon, Central Utah, USA. The site not only has layers of interesting pictographs, the spot is also part of a natural landscape that in my opinion is considered by the prehistoric peoples to be gendered. Several natural features very near the rock art site may have been interpreted as male and female.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics North America South America

Serrated Edges in Rock Art

Certain rock art images prove to occur at numerous places in the world, like cupules and zigzags. In most cases this is a matter of parallel invention. However, a number of motifs may have travelled across the globe for short or even enormous distances. This study investigates the distribution of one of the enigmatic rock art features, the serrated edge and explores the possibility that this practice diffused from North America to South America (or vice versa).

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.46

The Three Rivers 3D Masks

In several cases rock art manufacturers were intrigued by natural rock features such as holes and cracks. This paper deals mainly with rock art images of masks that are folded across two rock panels creating 3D masks. In particular the Mogollon 3D masks of Three Rivers in New Mexico, USA, will be discussed. Also the puzzling anomaly regarding the distribution of Mogollon 3D masks and Rio Grande Style 3D masks will be dealt with. Finally, it will be attempted to offer an explanation for the enigmatic 3D masks (PDF available).

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Geoglyphs North America South America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.44

The Incomplete Versus The Unfinished

Only the manufacturer of a rock art image could reliably have informed us whether a rock art image is unfinished or whether it is incomplete. Unfortunately informed knowledge is often completely unavailable. Then only the image and its graphical and cultural context are available to possibly separate the unfinished from the incomplete. Additionally, the incomplete image may even include something invisible. To address these issues I will use the rich rock art repertoire of the Desert Andes, focussing mainly on Toro Muerto and Miculla, two enormous rock art sites in the south of Peru.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Ethnography - Etnografia Featured North America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.44

Calling Cards: a New Plains Rock Art Site Type

Calling Card rock art sites, drawn by war parties in enemy territory to taunt their adversaries by illustrating deeds executed against them, are a newly identified site type on the northern Plains of North America. One such site is Cheval Bonnet, a small petroglyph in Northern Montana. Containing coup counting and horse raiding narratives from the early 1800s, analysis of these images shows that most of the petroglyphs can be identified as Crow drawings, even though they are carved in the heart of Historic Blackfeet tribal territory. Once this site was identified as a calling card petroglyph, I was able to identify three others elsewhere on the northern Plains (PDF available).

by James D. KEYSER

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.43

The Saluting Anthropomorph in the Rock Art of the Americas

Although in general complex biomorphic figures in rock art are not suitable to demonstrate diffusion, there is one idiosyncratic anthropomorphic figure the in rock art repertoire of the Americas, which, although it is very rare, has a remarkably wide distribution that might indicate long-distance diffusion. I have labelled this icon the Saluting Anthropomorph. See the UPDATE at the end of the paper.

 By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Africa America Australia Europe Featured Mid-America Morocco North America South America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.43

Long Distance Diffusion of Rock Art Motifs in the Americas

Rock art motifs are found in every inhabited continent. In most cases those motifs develop independently, but it is also certain that specific rock art motifs migrated from one area to another area, sometimes travelling for thousands of kilometres. This study investigates the possible long-distance diffusion of a number of abstract rock art motifs along the Pacific seaboard of the Americas.

 By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured North America South America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.43

Indifferent Obliteration of Petroglyph Art

Petroglyphs are often found superimposed by other petroglyphs, but in some cases they have also been (partially) obliterated by hammering, rubbing or polishing of the rock’s surface. This short study investigates a number of cases in North and South America where petroglyphs may have (and in some cases definitely have) been obliterated by such grinding activities. This study therefore strongly recommend to accurately record instances where grinding activities took place, even when there are no petroglyphs visible.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Featured Mid-America North America South America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.38

Icons That Travel

0 logoThe Atacama Desert and the Andes in South America are crisscrossed by myriads of paths and tracks. Often those tracks are easily seen in Google Earth as broad bands. Also rock art images narrate of such travels. They mainly depict camelids guided by people. In rare instances however a specific kind of traveller has been depicted on the rocks. I have labelled it ‘The Enigmatic Traveller‘. In this study I describe the distribution of this icon, compare it with similar images and try to explain the meaning of the enigmatic position of the arms of this figure.

By Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics North America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull.37

The Potash Sheep Shifters

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Shay Canyon Bighorns

The Southwest of North America is known for its rich rock art in which the image of the Bighorn is one of the most important zoomorphic representations. This study investigates the many manifestations of the Bighorn in rock art. The focus is on idiosyncrasies and possible transformations of the image of this impressive animal. It proves that in this respect especially Site 3 on Potash Road near Moab, Utah, offers so many shape-shifted images that we can speak of the Potash Sheep Shifters.

by Maarten van Hoek

Posted inAcademics Africa Featured Morocco North America Protection – Salvaguardia Rock art SOS South America

The Case of Guelta Oukas, Morocco

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Very recently several petroglyphs at the rock art site of Guelta Oukas in the Anti Atlas Mountains of southern Morocco were severely damaged. However, the mutilation was limited to two panels with mainly depictions of cattle and – moreover – to specific body parts of those zoomorphic images. In this paper I argue that this is not just another case of unwanted vandalism. Instead, I propose that the mutilation at Guelta Oukas could represent an instance of ‘negative’ rock art, involving the desecration of the images.

by Maarten van Hoek

Posted inbooks – journals – reviews Mid-America News - announcements - notizie North America TRACCE Onl. RA Bull. 30

Rupestreweb, May-August 2013 new papers online

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Rupestreweb

May-August 2013, twelve new papers on Rupestreweb, the most interesting online Mid and South-America rock art review; a rich overlook about: Brasil, Colombia, Cuba, Perú, República Dominicana. Petroglyphs, rock paintings, research, archaeology… want you go further?
Rupestreweb, Arte rupestre en América Latina.

by Rupestreweb