scholarly journals Picturing the Meaning of Scandinavian Rock Art – Graphic Representations, Archaeological Interpretations and Material Alterations

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-190
Author(s):  
Magnus Ljunge
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Recursive Relation ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
Intimate Connection ◽  
Interpretative Bias ◽  
Graphic Representations

The paper presents a reflective overview of the recursive relation between the archaeological practice of picturing Scandinavian rock art in printed works since the mid-19th century, and how archaeologists have constructed its meaning. There seem to be an intimate connection between graphic representations of rock art and an interpretative bias towards the mimetic qualities of images. When picturing rock art, the identification of motifs is prioritized at the expense of the materiality of rock art. Ultimately, the production of graphic representations has influenced the antiquarian alteration of the archaeological remains. Today, major Scandinavian rock art sites are frequently painted red, with the purpose of highlighting the engraved imagery for visitor legibility. This practice transforms the materiality of stone into a visual language of graphic representations.

scholarly journals Un paisaje sacralizado por grabados rupestres protohistóricos e históricos en las hoces del río Mesa (Calmarza, Zaragoza) = A Sacralized Landscape by Protohistoric and Historical Rock Engravings in the Gorges of the River Mesa (Calmarza, Zaragoza)

2020 ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
José Ignacio Royo Guillén ◽  
Francisco José Navarro Cabeza ◽  
Serafín Benedí Monge
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
The Third ◽  
Christian Iconography ◽  
Siglo Xix ◽  
Del Rio ◽  
The 19Th Century

Los estudios sobre grabados rupestres al aire libre de cronología postpaleolítica, adolecen de importantes carencias que, en el valle medio del Ebro, se han visto superadas con la llegada del tercer milenio. Con la presentación de este trabajo se pretende dar a conocer un nuevo núcleo de grabados rupestres, localizado en el extremo suroeste de la provincia de Zaragoza, en las gargantas calcáreas del río Mesa. Entre los nuevos enclaves rupestres, destacan los abrigos con grabados protohistóricos, pero muy especialmente los de cronología medieval andalusí y los de iconografía cristiana entre los siglos XIV y XVIII, con perduraciones hasta mediados del siglo XIX y algunas escenas relacionadas con la primera Guerra Carlista en Aragón. La distribución de los hallazgos, su tipología e iconografía y los restos arqueológicos asociados, permiten documentar una importante ocupación del territorio desde la Iª Edad del Hierro y la sacralización del paisaje a través del arte rupestre, con pervivencias que se perpetúan a lo largo de la Edad Media y Moderna, destacando como novedad la presencia de un importante conjunto de inscripciones epigráficas islámicas que deben situarse entre los siglos XI y XII. AbstractThe studies on open-air rock engravings in post-Paleolithic chronology suffer from important deficiencies, which in the middle valley of the Ebro, have been overcome with the arrival of the third millennium.With the presentation of this work, the aim is to make known a new nucleus of rock engravings, located in the extreme southwest of the province of Zaragoza, in the limestone gorges of the River Mesa. Among the new rock engravings, the shelters with protohistoric engravings stand out, but especially those with a medieval Andalusian chronology and those with Christian iconography between the 14th and 18th centuries, which lasted until the middle of the 19th century and some scenes related to the first Carlist War in Aragon. The distribution of the findings, their typology and iconography and the associated archaeological remains, allow us to document an important occupation of the territory since the First Iron Age and the sacralization of the landscape through rock art, with survivals that are perpetuated throughout the Middle and Modern Ages, highlighting as a novelty the presence of an important set of Islamic epigraphic inscriptions that must be located between the 11th and 12th centuries.

Oral tradition as emplacement: Ancestral Blackfoot memories of the Rocky Mountain Front

2021 ◽  
pp. 146960532110198
Author(s):  
María Nieves Zedeño ◽  
Evelyn Pickering ◽  
François Lanoë
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Place Making ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
Intimate Connection ◽  
Origin Stories ◽  
Mountain Front ◽  
Process Event ◽  
Early Human

We highlight the significance of process, event, and context of human practice in Indigenous Creation traditions to integrate Blackfoot “Napi” origin stories with environmental, geological, and archaeological information pertaining to the peopling of the Northwestern Plains, where the northern Rocky Mountain Front may have played a prominent role. First, we discuss the potential and limitations of origin stories generally, and Napi stories specifically, for complementing the fragmentary records of early human presence in the Blackfoot homeland. Second, we demonstrate the intimate connection among processes, events, place-making practices, and stories. Last, we aim to expand multivocality in the interpretation of the deep past through an archaeological practice that considers Indigenous philosophies and stories to be as valid as non-Indigenous ones.

Rock art as a source of the history of prehistory (An account to promote the understanding of prehistoric rock art)

Abgadiyat ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-35
Author(s):  
Hamdi Abbas Ahmed Abd-EI-Moniem
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
The Third ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Remote Past

Abstract Some may believe that the history of mankind begins with the appearance of writing only a few several thousands of years ago (cf. 4000-3000 BCE). Our history, however, extends beyond that date millions of years. The history of mankind, indeed, is deeply rooted in the remote past which is called 'prehistory'. With the lacking of any form of writing, this 'prehistoric' period can be examined directly solely by recourse to the study of archaeological remains. The purpose of this account is to introduce rock art to the readers and show the significant role of this sort of archaeological material in studying the history of mankind before the appearance of written records. The current work, therefore, is divided into three main sections: the first deals with definition of rock art and its nature; the second section is devoted to showing the significance of this aspect of material culture in exploring a long and mysterious period of the early history of man characterized by the complete absence of written records or historical documents; the third and last section, which is a vital and integral part of this work, comprises an explanatory pictorial record to promote the understanding of prehistoric rock art as a source of information needed for writing the history of prehistory.

scholarly journals PRÁTICAS ARQUEOLÓGICAS EM COMUNIDADE: Experiências Participativas na Chapada Diamantina, no Âmbito do Projeto Circuitos Arqueológicos de Visitação

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Etchevarne ◽  
Alvandyr Dantas Bezerra
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Chapada Diamantina ◽  
Social Commitment ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
Community Contexts

As práticas sociais desenvolvidas no âmbito do “Projeto Circuitos Arqueológicos de Visitação da Chapada Diamantina/Bahia” enquadram-se nos pressupostos da chamada Arqueologia Pública. Os resultados da vivência efetivada nos seis municípios chapadenses contemplados (Iraquara, Lençóis, Morro do Chapéu, Palmeiras, Seabra e Wagner), deixam transparecer a importância do compromisso social quando a prática arqueológica é desenvolvida em contextos comunitários, nesse caso, em localidades situadas próximas aos sítios de arte rupestre. Trata-se, por conseguinte, de uma reflexão sobre a natureza transformadora da Arqueologia através da interação social e troca de saberes. ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRACTICES IN THE COMMUNITY: Participative Experiences in the Diamantine Plate, in the Framework of the Archaeological Visitation Circuits ProjectABSTRACTThe social practices developed within the scope of the “Chapada Diamantina / Bahia Archaeological Visitation Project” fit the premises of the so-called Public Archeology. The results of the experience carried out in the six contemplated Chapada municipalities (Iraquara, Lençóis, Morro do Chapéu, Palmeiras, Seabra and Wagner), reveal the importance of social commitment when the archaeological practice is developed in community contexts, in this case, in locations located close by to rock art sites. It is, therefore, a reflection on the transformative nature of Archeology through social interaction and exchange of knowledge.Keywords: Archaeological circuits; Rock Arte; Community Archeology.

3. Objectives of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to the Galápagos

1956 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
Thor Heyerdahl ◽  
Arne Skjölsvold
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
The Many ◽  
The 19Th Century

The first scientific expedition to the Galápagos took place, as stated, when Malaspina made his brief call in 1790. In the 19th century a series of other and more important scientific expeditions followed, among them notably H.M.S. Beagle which arrived in 1835 with Charles Darwin as naturalist on board. Right up to the present time naturalists have been drawn to the Galápagos due to its unique fauna and flora, and biologically and geologically the group has been carefully surveyed. The many visiting expeditions have, however, never assumed the special task of searching for archaeological remains, and no signs of early occupation have been reported, other than man-made caves in the local tuff and broken Spanish jars and porcelain, all properly ascribed to the late 17th century buccaneers and the 18th century whalers.

Acts of estrangement. The post-mortem making of self and other

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Crossland
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Relational Understanding ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
Dead Bodies ◽  
The Dead

AbstractThe histories of post-mortem intervention in 18th- and 19th-century Britain illustrate how the relationships within which the dead were located affected their post-mortem treatment and were reproduced through it. This paper explores how traditions of marking social distinctions among the dead have been incorporated into archaeological practice, tracing some of the ways in which relationships between the dead and the living define the nature and tone of post-mortem interventions. This history suggests that the conditions within which people are produced as dead bodies through archaeological practice are at present poorly understood, and, as such, I contribute some notes towards a relational understanding of this production.

scholarly journals Ferdinand Boberg och statistikmaskineriet. Om statistik som medium, attraktion och utställning, ca 1800-1930

1970 ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Anders Ekström
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Graphic Representations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
Visual Realism

Different types of statistical representations were among the most prolific visual media in late nineteenth century museums and temporary exhibitions. From the 1890s to the 1930s, several ”social” or ”statistical museums” were founded in Europe and North America, the most famously of which were established by the sociologist Patric Geddes in Glasgow, and by the philosopher Otto Neurath in Vienna. The first part of this paper gives a survey of the development of graphic representations in the nineteenth century, with particular emphasis on the visual pedagogics involved in statistical display. The second part of the paper is dedicated to two statistical displays developed by the Swedish architect Ferdinand Boberg at exhibitions in Helsingborg in 1903 and Stockholm in 1909. In particular, the analysis is focused on the ways in which Boberg’s ”machinery of statistics” – a series of moving, figurative and three-dimensional representations of statistics – related to other media presented at the exhibitions, and to the ways in which the audience was invited to interact with the displays. In the conclusion, the development and use of statistical media in early twentieth century museums are discussed in relation to an intermedial discourse on visual realism and the utopian idea of a universal visual language. 

scholarly journals Trivial pursuit? Interpreting San rock art in terms of the mystical bond between hunter and prey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marie Dederen ◽  
Jennifer Munyai
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Vantage Point ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Art Works ◽  
Trivial Pursuit ◽  
Selection Of

For more than three decades now, researchers supporting the mainstream theoretical orientation in the field of rock art studies, the shamanistic model, have largely ignored the possibility that the idiom of the hunt could contribute meaningfully to the task of deciphering the often complex and enigmatic masterpieces of the San hunter-gatherers. They may have been mistaken all along. This paper argues that a good deal of the art produced by the hunters related intimately to the hunt, even though this may seem, to some, too obvious or inconsequential an objective to pursue. Importantly, the alternative vantage point on the paintings of the San which is introduced here aligns itself with the spiritual thinking of the creators of the art. While it is not the intention of the authors of this paper to present a systematic critique of the leading paradigm, they feel strongly that the discussion will benefit from a dialectical engagement with the latter. A selection of five rock art panels is first examined conventionally, i.e. in terms of the shamanistic model. The very same art works are revisited subsequently in order to explore them from an alternative, animistic perspective. It is concluded, tentatively, that the artists’ visual language emphasized the significance of the narrative focus of their work, namely the various manifestations of hunter-prey sociability, the spiritual grounding of which characterized, if not defined life in traditional hunting communities across the globe.

The Eye and the Rock: Art, Observation and the Naturalistic Drawing of Earth Strata

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Travel Literature ◽  
Depositional Environment ◽  
Da Vinci ◽  
Rock Art ◽  
Leonardo Da Vinci ◽  
Early 19Th Century ◽  
Rock Formations ◽  
Natural Rock ◽  
The 19Th Century

The first naturalistic drawings of geologic phenomena, particularly rock formations, are assumed by historians to have occurred early in the 19th century, when geology matured as a science. No less than three centuries earlier, however, the Netherlandish master, Jan Van Eyck, drew exposures of natural rock whose features are so remarkably accurate as to permit modern-day geologic analysis of their lithology, fossil content, sedimentary structures, and depositional environment. Van Eyck clearly studied, drew, and painted a specific outcrop "in the field," long before such practice had become common in art or science. As the first modern geologic "observer," Van Eyck greatly extended an existing tradition of naturalism with regard to organic phenomena (esp. plants, insects, human figures) fully into the realm of inorganic reality. In this, he far surpassed other scholar-artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, who have been credited with similar achievements. Van Eyck's achievement proved exceptional. It was matched neither by later artists, scientists, or illustrators until the late 18th-early 19th century, when conventions in travel literature and landscape inspired new attention to the drawing of rock materials. The reasons for this historical gap have everything to do with the limitations of observation in early geological study, which show important parallels to those in art.

CONSTRUCTING THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF 19TH CENTURY CELEBES SEA REGION MARITIME CULTURE THROUGH CONCEPT ART

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Christian Aditya
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Field Observation ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Maritime History ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Visual Research ◽  
Ongoing Process ◽  
Maritime Culture ◽  
Historical Text ◽  
Concept Art

In order to create a believable world for the animated content. Concept art for the animation are created through the process of studying literatures about Celebes Sea maritime history and field observation on Celebes Sea region. In this paper, the concept art being discussed is limited to the environment of the animated world along with some of Its property such as houses and boat, however there are minimum visual data on related literature and unmaintained artifacts / model from field observation. There- fore, visual language has to be decoded through historical text in the literature and also through visual research on available artifacts / model of the property. The concept art development is still an ongoing process.

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