rock art

Mountain rock art at Saimaluu Tash: battle chariots and ploughing scenes at an altitude of 3,000m

The remote, mountainous location of Saimaluu Tash has ensured that its ancient rock art remains remarkably well preserved. Some of the images, though, feature subjects such as ploughing and chariots. The presence of activities best suited to much lower altitudes raises questions about who was creating this rock art and why. Christoph Baumer is our guide to an extraordinary concentration of ancient artistry.

Palaeolithic Rock Art of the Italian Peninsula

World Archaeology

Review by George Nash Until relatively recently, European Palaeolithic rock art outside the Franco-Cantabrian area (south-west France and northern Spain) was considered a rare occurrence. This belief was partly based on harsh

News in brief from China, Guatemala, and Spain

World Archaeology

Brief summaries of important archaeological discoveries, including the world’s oldest coin mint, ancient Mayan parks, and a cave painting scene of honey-gathering.

Books

Drawn and Written in Stone: an inventory of stepped structures and inscriptions on rock surfaces in Upper Tibet (ca.100 BCE to 1400 CE)

World Archaeology

September 17, 2021

For many thousands of years, humans have inscribed their presence on the landscape. They drew or pecked images of the fanciful, representational, or sacred on the walls of caves, rock shelters, rock

News

Newly-discovered Spanish cave art depicts honey-gathering

The Past

August 12, 2021

According to the researchers, this is the most elaborate and well-preserved depiction of honey-gathering documented within Levantine art to date.

News

Prehistoric animal carvings discovered in Kilmartin Glen

Current Archaeology

June 25, 2021

What makes this discovery particularly exciting is that, even though animal carvings from this period are known from continental Europe, such realistic prehistoric depictions were not thought to exist in Scotland before now.

Feature

Bringing back the Birdman: restoring colour to the sacred cult of Easter Island

World Archaeology

May 24, 2021

Early visitors to Easter Island recorded strange designs of a mysterious being. Now, using the latest technology and ancient records, Paul Horley, Georgia Lee, and Paul Bahn have restored glorious colour to the sacred site of Orongo, home of the mystical birdman.

News

Australia’s ancient rock art

World Archaeology

May 18, 2021

Researchers in Australia have used wasp nests on a cave wall to identify the earliest known example of in situ rock art in the country: a painting of a kangaroo created over 17,000 years ago.

News

Eroding evidence of prehistoric Orkney

Current Archaeology

March 28, 2021

A massive incised rock has recently been discovered at the northern end of the Bay of Skaill in Orkney.

News

Spectacular prehistoric discoveries from County Sligo

Current Archaeology

November 17, 2020

COVID-19 restrictions have not stopped the Sligo Community Archaeology Project, which can boast of some very exciting prehistoric discoveries in the county over the past few months. This initiative (undertaken in partnership

Feature

Archaeology on Furlough: how volunteers explored the past during lockdown

Current Archaeology

November 17, 2020

When the UK locked down against COVID-19 last spring, many archaeologists were unable to work as normal – but Rob Wiseman found a silver lining. He brought together more than 100 furloughed archaeologists to create a volunteer task force that has shed light on sites all over the country, spanning prehistory to the present day. Here, he shares some of the project’s highlights.

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