Not to be confused with cave paintings, a type of rock art placed on the walls and ceilings of caves; or art rock, a sub-genre of rock music.
Fremont Petroglyph, in Dinosaur National Monument, attributed to Classic Vernal Style, Fremont archaeological culture, eastern Utah, United StatesReclining Buddha at Gal Vihara, Sri Lanka, where the remains of two columns to support the structure that originally enclosed it is visibleNanabozho pictograph, Mazinaw Rock, Bon Echo Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also may be called cave art or parietal art. A global phenomenon, rock art is found in many culturally diverse regions of the world. It has been produced in many contexts throughout human history. In terms of technique, the four main groups are:
cave paintings,
petroglyphs, which are carved or scratched into the rock surface,
sculpted rock reliefs, and
geoglyphs, which are formed on the ground.
The oldest known rock art dates from the Upper Palaeolithic period, having been found in Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Anthropologists studying these artworks believe that they likely had magico-religious significance.
The archaeological sub-discipline of rock art studies first developed in the late-19th century among Francophone scholars studying the rock art of the Upper Palaeolithic found in the cave systems of parts of Western Europe. Rock art continues to be of importance to indigenous peoples in various parts of the world, who view them as both sacred items and significant components of their cultural heritage.[1] Such archaeological sites may become significant sources of cultural tourism and have been used in popular culture for their aesthetic qualities.[2]
Buddhist stone carvings at Ili River, Kazakhstan
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prehistoric rockart is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also may be called cave art or parietal art. A global phenomenon, rockart is...
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Africa and Botswana. Their ancient rock paintings and carvings (collectively called rockart) are found in caves and on rock shelters. The artwork depicts...
Tibesti Ennedi Messak Tadrart Sabu-Jaddi Adrar Plateau Gilf Kebir Saharan rockart is a significant area of archaeological study focusing on artwork carved...
bark painting, wood carving, rock carving, watercolour painting, sculpting, ceremonial clothing and sandpainting; art by Indigenous Australians that...
Gobustan RockArt represents flora and fauna, hunting, lifestyles, and culture of pre-historic and medieval periods of time. The carvings on the rocks...
tattooing, stilt houses, jade carving, wetland agriculture, and various rockart motifs. They also share domesticated plants and animals that were carried...
Quinkan rockart refers to a large body of locally, nationally and internationally significant Aboriginal rockart in Australia of a style characterised...
Tambun rockart, is a series of Neolithic-era cave paintings at the Gunung Panjang limestone hill in Tambun, on the outskirts of Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia...
Bhimbetka site has the oldest-known rockart in India, as well as is one of the largest prehistoric complexes. The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka is 45 kilometres...
Prehistoric art In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological...
The Gwion Gwion rock paintings, Gwion figures, Kiro Kiro or Kujon (also known as the Bradshaw rock paintings, Bradshaw rockart, Bradshaw figures and...
Rockart has been produced in Europe since the Upper Palaeolithic period through to recent centuries. It is found in all of the major regions of the continent...
art, and for traditional crafts see arts of Iran. Rockart in Iran is its most ancient surviving art. Iranian architecture is covered at that article....
The Japanese dry garden (枯山水, karesansui) or Japanese rock garden, often called a Zen garden, is a distinctive style of Japanese garden. It creates a miniature...
years. The next phase of surviving European prehistoric painting, the rockart of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, was very different, concentrating on...
China. Indian art has itself received influences at times, especially from Central Asia and Iran, and Europe. Rockart of India includes rock relief carvings...
structure, farming of cereals, metallurgy, numerous funerary tombs, and a rockart tradition. At Dhar Tichitt and Dhar Walata, pearl millet may have also...
"progressive rock" is synonymous with "artrock", "classical rock" (not to be confused with classic rock), and "symphonic rock". Historically, "artrock" has...
Finnish rockart pictographs created during the Stone Age have been found at 127 sites around Finland. They consist mainly of brownish-red figures and...
RockArt Brewery is an American brewery in Morrisville, Vermont. It began production in 1997 in the Johnson, Vermont basement of founders Matt and Renee...
image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rockart. Outside North America, scholars often...
Art punk, or artcore, is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated...
collection of rockart depicting mainly cattle, as these animals had the greatest financial, environmental, and cultural impact. This art dates back nearly...
Chumash rockart is a genre of paintings on caves, mountains, cliffs, or other living rock surfaces, created by the Chumash people of Southern California...
art such as at Creswell Crags, portable art (such as animal carvings and sculptures like the Venus of Willendorf), and open-air art (such as the rock...
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