WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ROCK ART?
"To arrive at an understanding of the meaning and purpose of rock art there are a number of ways in which I feel the subject needs to be approached. These questions that need to be explored are not unique to this discussion but are a convenient way of organizing our inquiry. Who made rock art? When was it made? How was it made? What was made? And finally, why was it made?
Many sources have attempted to answer many of these questions, often in very regionally specific ways. These answers tend to become more clear and comprehensive as the volume of research increases and as more technological tools become available. The answer to the question, why was rock art made, however, in my opinion, has not been comprehensively addressed in a single work. It is my goal with this writing to change that."
From the Forward of Understanding Meaning and Purpose of Rock Art
This
newly published (2012) 148 page book explores the many ways in which
petroglyphs and pictographs may be examined to determine their meaning and
purpose. Rock art styles are particular to the part of the world in which
they are located, but there are characteristics that they all share in
common. This researcher examines those diverse common elements. This
new book gives researchers and students of this exciting field of archaeology a
structure that facilitates the task of determining meaning and purpose of
pictographs and petroglyphs. Written in a conversational style with both
the neophyte and experienced rock art researcher in mind, the author provides
insights that will make both think about rock art meaning in new
ways. Numerous photographs of pictographs and petroglyphs offer immediate
reference points to the ideas discussed by this avocational archaeologist.