Agricultural check dam at South Mountain

South Mountain Rock Art Project

Rock Art and Archaeology

 

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Rock art research has a long history in Archaeology, but it is really in the last decade that archaeologists have started integrating rock art studies into scientific archaeological research. As a result, there are few guidelines on how to adequately document and study rock art within its archaeological context-- the other features and artifacts that surround them-- and in its landscape setting-- the viewsheds around rock art sites, alignment with natural or modified landmarks, or light and shadow interactions of landscape elements with rock art. There can be strong associations between rock art and prehistoric trails, agricultural fields or settlements, and physical elements of the landscape, such as springs, washes, or rock shelters. All of these are found at South Mountain Park.
Todd Bostwick and I have created a rock art recording manual tailored to the conditions at South Mountain, but applicable to the archaeological recording of rock art anywhere. These are available as PDF files: to download a low-resolution version (5MB) here or a high-resolution version (9MB) here. We have adopted a "siteless," feature-based recording approach, and consider rock art to be special, but basically equivalent to other archaeological features. Our recording strategy involves different recording levels, with increasing levels of detail, requiring multiple visits to rock art localities. This is important because rock art at South Mountain, as in other places, can be easy to see under some lighting conditions, but invisible to the naked eye at other times, varying with time of day and with the seasons.
Level 1 recording uses paper forms, GPS, and digital cameras to record all of the features in an area. In the lab, we examine their distribution to determine site boundaries.
Level 2 goes a step further, recording more detailed information about the archaeological features at a site, and we fill out forms to register sites with the Arizona State Museum, a repository for all of Arizona's archaeological site records. This also allows us to evaluate the eligibility of sites for the National Register of Historic Places, which is an important way to help preserve sites.
Level 3 records in-depth information about important features such as rock shelters, rock art panels, trails, and agricultural features, so that we can better understand the relationship between prehistoric rock art production and other activities of daily life in the past.
Level 4 recording is the most specialized, allowing project members to accurately and consistently record astronomical observations or light and shadow interactions, for instance. It also provides documentation for intense recording, like aerial photography of sites, and 3-D laser scanning of petroglyph panels.

 

 

This project is financed in part by a grant from the Historic Preservation Heritage Fund which is funded by the Arizona Lottery and administered by the Arizona State Parks Board.