Rock Art
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Contributor: Thomas C. Alex
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Introduction[edit | edit source]
Rock art, also referred to as rock imagery is human-produced imagery applied to fixed locations on the landscape such as boulders, exposures of bedrock, and the walls of caves and rock shelters. It is similar to ceramic mosaic wall art or mural paintings that occur in a fixed location. Imagery is applied as painted pictograph motifs as well as engraved, etched, or carved petroglyph designs that penetrate the veneer on a rock surface. Imagery also may be large, landscape scale designs or patterns laid out on the ground as petroforms of piled stones or scratched into natural desert pavement surfaces where the gravel veneer has been cleared away to create designs such as animal motifs or abstract patterns. It can be argued that the category may include portable art produced in stone.
This paleo-art imagery gives insight into and is the primary resource for understanding the mental, spiritual, or conceptual realm of past living cultures. The discipline focuses on the origins of human constructs of reality and is one of the most important research avenues in the study of conceptual evolution of past cultures. An important factor is ensuring that affiliated indigenous groups of people are involved in the conservation process. Indigenous tradition adds knowledge that is crucial in understanding the indigenous conceptual universe. It also adds a perspective on how sites and imagery features are understood and should be treated.
Threats to rock art sites[edit | edit source]
In general, conservation threats to rock art sites can be divided into two basic types: those that are of natural deterioration and those that can be attributed to human interference of some type. Most rock art is of considerable age and has survived such threats. The threat from natural deterioration may be a slow process due to natural weathering but weathering itself may be exacerbated by human activities that contribute to climate change. Human interference may be swift and direct as in the case of graffiti and vandalism. Conservation must address these influences by identifying the source of threats and devise means of eliminating or at least slowing the loss of this important component of the archeological record. Most deterioration is not reversible but the goal of conservation is to slow or halt such loss of integrity.
Conservation of rock art sites[edit | edit source]
The primary conservation action is to preserve the sites and the natural features that support the imagery. Many sites are protected by their remoteness and obscurity. Many occur on privately owned land. In public spaces, the threat of human induced damages is more prevalent. Various methods of restricting access and direct proximity to the rock art resources have been employed. Some have been successful but some have been ineffectual at preventing graffiti and vandalism. Site management planning must be designed to address the specific conditions that affect each particular site.
Conservation treatments must conform to the corpus of practice that has developed over recent decades amongst archeologists, particularly those engaged in rock art documentation, study, and preservation. Early “conservation” attempts by archeologists, artists, and photographers have contributed to significant degradation of rock art imagery. Photography using a flash to illuminate imagery in dark spaces contributes to premature fading of the pigments. The practice of spraying water onto imagery to get better photos, and worse, throwing kerosene onto it to brighten the paint has actually destroyed the fragile imagery. Smearing chalk on petroglyphs to make them more apparent for photography contributes to degradation.
Several international organizations actively document sites and conduct research to ascertain a better understanding of human conceptual development throughout prehistory and into the modern age. These same organizations have developed well-thought ways of preserving rock art sites and imagery. Advances in digital technology allow conservation of sites and imagery with 3D photography, laser scanning, and Structure through Motion scanning.
Graffiti must be eliminated because the presence of graffiti entices other individuals to repeat the damage. Attempts to reverse the damages from graffiti and vandalism have been documented to adversely affect the physical integrity of the rock imagery as well as the substrate upon which it was produced. Using chemicals to remove painted graffiti must be preceded by careful identification of the product (paint used in the graffiti) that was applied to a surface. The physical properties of the substrate must also be considered for its durability and resistance to our treatment methods that use abrasion to assist removal. No treatment should adversely affect the original rock imagery nor should it cause the substrate to undergo degradation that was caused by the treatment.
Rock art conservation and treatment is itself an evolving professional career. Very few individuals are regularly engaged in direct rock art conservation and the sharing of knowledge around the subject will expand the community of knowledgeable archeologists and conservators. The conservation community shares personal experience in materials and methodologies and contributes to the most successful conservation and treatment outcomes.
Conservation topics requiring expansion[edit | edit source]
These topics should be expanded with discussions of past practical experiences by conservationists and archeologists to include the peculiar conservation problems that have been encountered in the field and how they can and should be addressed.
Reduction Art – Petroglyphs, Geoglyphs
- Observed variety of motifs, methods of creation, and relationship to the place
- Geological/petrological substrates that present problems in stabilization and preservation
- Landscape scale erosion and the effects from open air exposure
Addition Art – Pictographs, Petroforms
- Observed variety of motifs, methods of creation, and relationship to the place
- Chemical properties of painted imagery
- Age determination through various dating technologies
- Environmental impacts and degradation
Cave Art
- The underground environment and its effects on conservation and preservation
- Graphic documentation methods
Open Air Art
- Environmental conditions that adversely affect preservation
- The effects of climate change, acid rain, freeze/thaw, and other atmospheric influences
Portable Paleoart
- Observed varieties of painted and pecked imagery found on portable stone
- Threats of theft and vandalism
Digital Conservation
- Photogrammetry technologies
- Digital scanning technologies
- Drone aerial documentation and mapping
Dating Techniques
- Evolving dating technologies
Treatment Materials and Methods
- Pigment analysis
- Stabilization practices
- Do-and-don’t guidelines
- Indigenous views on site treatment
Site Protection
- Methods of restricting access and proximity in public spaces
- Pedestrian traffic control methods
- Signage and public education
- Indigenous views on site protection
Site Interpretation
- Public education and awareness
- Indigenous views on site interpretation
Graffiti Treatment
- Benign chemical treatments for graffiti removal
- Accepted practices in graffiti treatment
- Commercially available graffiti removal products
Vandalism Remediation
- Site stabilization and damage remediation
- Conservation of heritage resources exposed by vandalism
References[edit | edit source]
Loendorf, Lawrence L. and Nancy Medaris Stone, 2025. Ten Steps for Recording Pictographs and Petroglyphs: Methods and Technologies. The University of Utah Press.
Castaneda, Amanda M., Carolyn Boyd, and Mark Willis. 2024. "Recording the Visual Record: Current Best Practices and Methods for Rock Art Documentation." Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society 95:127-47.
(This has a lot of references you can mine for lots of good info.)
Charles Koenig, et. al., 2019. "Around the Lower Pecos in 1,095 Days: The Alexandria Project." In American Indian Rock Art, Volume 45, edited by K. Hedges and A. McConnell, pp. 147-160. American Rock Art Research Association, San Jose, California.
(Discusses baseline documentation of pictographs.)
Merrill, Samuel Oliver Crichton. 2011. "Graffiti at Heritage Places: Vandalism as Cultural Significance or Conservation Sacrilege?" Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture: 4 (1).
Price, Nicholas Stanley. "The Great Murals: Conserving the Rock Art of Baja California," The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter 11(2). https://web.archive.org/web/20230422014057/https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/11_2/feature1.html
Silver, Constance S. 1985. The Rock Art of Seminole Canyon State Historic Park: Deterioration and Prospects for Conservation. Texas Parks and Wildlife Report 4000-430.
(A copy may be obtained from Texas Parks and Wildlife, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744.)
Loubser, Johannes H. N., 2019. The removal and camouflage of graffiti: The art of creating chaos out of order and order out of chaos. Bradshaw Foundation. Accessed February 18, 2025. https://bradshawfoundation.com/rockartnetwork/removal_camouflage_of_graffiti.php
Web Links[edit | edit source]
The Rock Art Network - access to lots of articles and other publications.
Centre for Rock Art Research and Management
American Rock Art Research Association
Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center – see info under Research tab (publications and methods) and blogs under Education tab.
See also The Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center YouTube channel.
Preservation Matters: Maintenance - Graffiti Removal from Historic Features
International Foundation of Rock Art Organizations
