The Archaeology of Rock Art

Christopher Chippindale and Paul S. C. Taçon. 1998. The Archaeology of Rock Art. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 345 pages in 19 chapters, plus an index.

The Archaeology of Rock Art is a collection of articles on differing aspects of rock art, examining the global nature of rock art and the earliest expressions of what might be called the spiritual or artistic nature of Homo sapiens. The initial chapter provides the setting for the articles, which use case studies from around the world to discuss the applications of science and social science to the images and their creators. The images portrayed on geologic landforms the world over are deemed by the editors the "direct material expressions of human concept, of human thought" and hence are interesting both in themselves and for what they imply about the human spirit.

The balance of the chapters are concerned with dating techniques, ethnographic interpretations of the images, and the meaning of rock art as part and parcel of the landscape itself. The case studies come from Australia, southern Africa, North America, Scandinavia, western Europe, continental Asia and the Pacific Islands. They range in age from the Upper Paleolithic period at Coâ, Cosquer, and Chauvet caves in France and Portugal, to historic period drawings at Callen Park, Australia and graffiti images at Cambridge, England.

The global perspective of the articles considered as a whole provides a broad brush view of cross-cultural ideas, while bibliographies in each of the chapters allow one to investigate the various sites more intensely. Overall, I would say this book is ideal for anyone seeking a global understanding of the various forms of rock art in the world.