Rock Art and the Prehistory of Atlantic Europe

Rock Art and the Prehistory of Atlantic Europe
Author: Mr Richard Bradley
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2002-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134708920

Along the Atlantic seaboard, from Scotland to Spain, are numerous rock carvings made four to five thousand years ago, whose interpretation poses a major challenge to the archaeologist. In the first full-length treatment of the subject, based largely on new fieldwork, Richard Bradley argues that these carvings should be interpreted as a series of symbolic messages that are shared between monuments, artefacts and natural places in the landscape. He discusses the cultural setting of the rock carvings and the ways in which they can be interpreted in relation to ancient land use, the creation of ritual monuments and the burial of the dead. Integrating this fascinating yet little-known material into the mainstream of prehistoric studies, Richard Bradley demonstrates that these carvings played a fundamental role in the organization of the prehistoric landscape.

Design and Connectivity

Design and Connectivity
Author: Joana Valdez-Tullett
Publisher: BAR International Series
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2019
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Archaeology of Prehistoric Art, Volume 1 Atlantic Rock Art is a rock art tradition which includes emblematic motifs such as cup-marks, cup-and-rings and lines, known to several countries on the Atlantic seaboard. Design and Connectivity springs from an inter-regional study of this tradition, based on an original and innovative methodology applied to an empirical dataset. The project builds on Richard Bradley's work, investigating differences and similarities in Atlantic Art over study areas in five countries: Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. It applies a multi-scalar methodology developed under the principles of Relational Ontology and Assemblage Theory, providing a dynamic perspective on the empirical data. A thorough categorical scheme was scrutinised using a Presence/Absence Matrix, spatial analysis (fieldwork and GIS) and the development of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to relate and explore the relationships and connectivity between study areas. Concepts of developmental psychology support the idea of intentional teaching and cultural transmission.

A Comparative Study of Rock Art in Later Prehistoric Europe

A Comparative Study of Rock Art in Later Prehistoric Europe
Author: Richard Bradley
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2020-10-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1108887872

The Element summarises the state of knowledge about four styles of prehistoric rock art in Europe current between the late Mesolithic period and the Iron Age. They are the Levantine, Macroschematic and Schematic traditions in the Iberian Peninsula; the Atlantic style that extended between Portugal, Spain, Britain and Ireland; Alpine rock art; and the pecked and painted images found in Fennoscandia. They are interpreted in relation to the landscapes in which they were made. Their production is related to monument building, the decoration of portable objects, trade and long distance travel, burial rites, and warfare. A final discussion considers possible connections between these separate traditions and the changing subject matter of rock art in relation to wider developments in European prehistoric societies.

Image and Audience

Image and Audience
Author: Richard Bradley
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2009-03-12
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0191569550

There have been many accounts of prehistoric 'art', but nearly all of them begin by assuming that the concept is a useful one. In this extensively illustrated study, Richard Bradley asks why ancient objects were created and when and how they were used. He considers how the first definitions of prehistoric artworks were made, and the ways in which they might be related to practices in the visual arts today. Extended case studies of two immensely popular and much-visited sites illustrate his argument: one considers the megalithic tombs of Western Europe, whilst the other investigates the decorated metalwork and rock carvings of Bronze Age Scandinavia.

Monuments and Landscape in Atlantic Europe

Monuments and Landscape in Atlantic Europe
Author: Chris Scarre
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2005-07-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134482205

These essays examine for the first time the relationship between landscape and prehistoric monuments across Europe, placing the issue in a regional and intellectual context.

Handbook of Rock Art Research

Handbook of Rock Art Research
Author: David S. Whitley
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 876
Release: 2001
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780742502567

While there has always been a large public interest in ancient pictures painted or carved on stone, the archaeological study of rock art is in its infancy. But intensive amounts of research has revolutionized this field in the past decade. New methods of dating and analysis help to pinpoint the makers of these beautiful images, new interpretive models help us understand this art in relation to culture. Identification, conservation and management of rock art sites have become major issues in historical preservation worldwide. And the number of archaeologically attested sites has mushroomed. In this handbook, the leading researchers in the rock art area provide cogent, state-of-the-art summaries of the technical, interpretive, and regional advances in rock art research. The book offers a comprehensive, basic reference of current information on key topics over six continents for archaeologists, anthropologists, art historians, and rock art enthusiasts.

Signalling and Performance: Ancient Rock Art in Britain and Ireland

Signalling and Performance: Ancient Rock Art in Britain and Ireland
Author: Aron Mazel
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2022-08-28
Genre: Art
ISBN: 180327252X

This lavishly illustrated volume presents a state of the art survey of the ancient rock art of Britain and Ireland. Bringing together new discoveries and new interpretations, it enhances our understanding and further establishes ancient British and Irish rock art as a significant archaeological assemblage worthy of attention and additional study.

European Landscapes of Rock-Art

European Landscapes of Rock-Art
Author: Christopher Chippindale
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2003-09-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134517335

Rock-art - the ancient images which still scatter the rocky landscapes of Europe - is a singular kind of archaeological evidence. Fixed in place, it does not move about as artefacts as trade objects do. Enigmatic in its meaning, it uniquely offers a direct record of how prehistoric Europeans saw and envisioned their own worlds. European Landscapes of Rock-Art provides a number of case studies, covering arange of European locations including Ireland, Italy, Scandinavia, Scotland and Spain, which collectively address the chronology and geography of rock-art as well as providing an essential series of methodologies for future debate. Each author provides a synthesis that focuses on landscape as an essential part of rock-art construction. From the paintings and carved images of prehistoric Scandinavia to Second World War grafitti on the German Reichstag, this volume looks beyond the art to the society that made it. The papers in this volume also challenge the traditional views of how rock-art is recorded. Throughout, there is an emphasis on informal and informed methodologies. The authors skilfully discuss subjectivity and its relationship with landscape since personal experience, from prehistoric times to the present day, plays an essential role in the interpretation of art itself. The emphasis is on location, on the intentionality of the artist, and on the needs of the audience. This exciting volume is a crucial addition to rock-art literature and landscape archaeology. It will provide new material for a lively and greatly debated subject and as such will be essential for academics, non-academics and commentators of rock art in general.

Abstractions Based on Circles: Papers on prehistoric rock art presented to Stan Beckensall on his 90th birthday

Abstractions Based on Circles: Papers on prehistoric rock art presented to Stan Beckensall on his 90th birthday
Author: Paul Frodsham
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2022-09-22
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1803273178

Stan Beckensall is renowned for his work, done on an entirely amateur basis, discovering, recording and interpreting Atlantic rock art in his home county of Northumberland and beyond. Presented on his 90th birthday, this diverse and stimulating collection of papers celebrates his crucial contribution to rock art studies, and looks to the future.

Art as Metaphor

Art as Metaphor
Author: Aron D. Mazel
Publisher: Archaeopress
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2007
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781905739165

Enigmatic, esoteric and fascinating, the rock-art of the British Isles has for a long time been a well-kept secret. However, over the last few decades hundreds of new rock art panels have been discovered and several regional surveys have been carried out. This volume brings together a carefully selected collection of papers that cover British prehistoric rock-art from over 10000 years ago.