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 climatic regimes in the northern and alpine areas of Europe, where it was thought that human settlement would not have been possible. Over the past 50 years, however, significant research inroads have been made outside the two main areas of western Europe, with discoveries in the southern British Isles, Portugal, Romania, and Italy.
Dispersed across the Italian peninsula is a small assemblage of Upper Palaeolithic open-air rock outcropping (usually on schists) and cave sites (usually within limestone areas of central and southern Italy). The artistic themes from each site comprise animals such as bovines, cervids, fish, and equids, as well as geometric forms and occasional handprints. Accompanying the rock art is the complex stratigraphy associated with multiple occupation sequences in caves, and occasional portable art (for example, engraved onto bone and antler).
Dario Sigari’s book provides the reader with an essential narrative of the discovery, fieldwork, research, and publication of all known Upper Palaeolithic rock art within the Italian peninsula. The book is organised into 13 sections, with Chapters 3 to 10 focusing on specific sites where identifiable Upper Palaeolithic rock art has been discovered, along with discussions of the history of archaeology and (Italian) methodological and theoretical approaches in recording and dissemination. The methods section (Chapter 2) is useful for those readers who are engaged in fieldwork, prospection, and recording.
