|
The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Rock art. so what's that all about then. ? |
Log In to post a reply
|
|
|
|
| Topic View: Flat | Threaded | |
|
Resonox 604 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 05:44
|
||
|
Sometimes you really have to look hard to find some of the markings(perhaps they were easier to see when originally done..eg the stone has since toppled) and some are over lapping(almost obliterating) existing markings.Gouging the rock of course has more permanence than daubing with dye/blood/dung/chalk etc..some are obvious representations of animal/bird/man..but the circles and lines are intruiging A nice idea if they were an early indicator of settlements for trading purposes(an early Yellow Pages)..didn't someone(early archeologist??) suggest that they might've been representations of sunrise/set? A nicer idea would be if they were some kind of blueprint for circle building, which eventually took on a mystic meaning as the skill was waning...but they don't give that as an obvious impression. Again sometimes you'll find a single cup with no other markings on a rock...could it have been a bored traveller just putting his mark there whilst sheltering from rain? Maybe some rocks had pebbles embedded in them and these were removed(aesthetic or mystic purposes???) leaving a cup mark which someone of an artistic bent copied and the fad caught on??? More questions than answers ;0)
|
|||
ocifant 1758 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 05:56
|
||
|
megadread wrote: Hob wrote: ........used by traders in the Levant during the early bronze age, where by a system of circles and lines was used to indicate if an area had been scouted out for potential custom. It made reference to things like, a circle with a broken ring meant no hostile forces, a broken inner ring meant little trade, unbroken circles meant strong defences and good trade, whilst a line running through two unbroken circles meant the area is unscouted and unknown. Hmmmm, wouldn't that info be too precious to share though. ? And not subject to later change? e.g. "a line running through two unbroken circles meant the area is unscouted and unknown". So what happened when it *was* scouted? How did they erase the line? Nah, sorry, doesn't work for me...
|
|||
moss 2897 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 08:16
|
||
|
Talking of regional differences, apparently some of the Irish tombs had 'patterns' of boulders under or by the great tombs, not stone circles but decoration, very similar to what you find on the RA at Newgrange, and a theory put forward that the concentric circles motif with a linear line through is supposed to represent the passage graves. And to quote Richard Bradley " the gapped circle, with a radial line leading to its centre, is one of the dominant images in Irish RA"...
|
|||
|
Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 12:21
|
||
You could counter: art. so what's that all about then. ? And you can't expect to get a straightforward answer about that one either.
|
|||
|
faerygirl 412 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 16:41
|
||
|
The few things I have read (and maybe it just says a lot about the kind of books I opt for!) suggest its all part of Shaman rituals. If you take certain hallucinogens then you see concentric rings, squiggly lines, zigzags etc. These were (and still are in areas where there are still shamans) often believed to be the ACTUAL next dimention or the land of the dead or the spirits of wherever you were trying to get to. When Graham Hancock took ibogaine as study for the book Supernatural he saw the exact symbols that are often seen as rock art in ancient caves such a wiggly lines, serpents and circles.
|
|||
Jane 3024 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 16:49
|
||
|
Kozmik_Ken wrote: I also don't see any problem with RA having multiple purposes too. rather than single definitions. On my travels I've seen a number of different kinds of rock art ranging from cup marks (which seem to be global) to cups with rings, lines and 'abstract' designs to depictions of actual things (animals, people, spears). Many of which have very different uses. In Polynesia we saw cup marks which had been made to mix herbs to create tattooing inks and for grinding colours. In southern Africa and the middle east we saw depictions of prey animals, these are common in Europe too. Some corkers in Scandinavia I believe... In South Africa we saw cup marks which were used as board games, using pebbles as 'counters'. And some of the random designs we saw in Namibia was *EXACTLY* like stuff you see in northern England and Scotland. It was surprising to see it next to glyphs of lions, rhinos and penguins. I think rock art could be diagrammatically expressed mapping, too, using signs and symbols we just can't read any more because the landscape has changed so much. Or perhaps it didn't map the landscape, but family connections, tribal lineage, ownership of stock, etc, etc. Whatever rock art was I certainly enjoy seeking it out. I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing the Nazca lines in September. Check out that giant hummingbird! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines
|
|||
bladup 1986 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 17:33
|
||
I THINK ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS, IS ABOUT FINDING GOOD CLEAN WATER(the main groupings seem to be where there's a lot of dangerous metal in the water,lllkley and kilmartin been two, drink that stuff and you'll die quite quickly) ,they also seem to be following it underground ,so a line going into some rings could be where the water comes out of the ground(its clean in these places)!!!a cup with rings could be spring water(moving water) and a cup or a cup with a ring could be still water, I noticed this at the tree of life stone ,the cups matched perfectly with the local springs, and from that spot you have the view of it all, it and the simplicity of it still blows my head now, and the great thing its very easy to check, either on foot(i could use the tree of life stone, practically) or inside using 1;25000 os maps, go see what you think, but bare in mind that us humans have diverted a lot of water over the years so it will only work in the most natural places, but remember its clean water that keeps us alive and the knowledge of where it is i think WOULD have been shared information.
|
|||
thesweetcheat 6218 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 18:04
|
||
|
Jane wrote: And some of the random designs we saw in Namibia was *EXACTLY* like stuff you see in northern England and Scotland. It was surprising to see it next to glyphs of lions, rhinos and penguins. Do they still have penguins in Namibia? What a great image that combination of animals produces!
|
|||
Moth 5236 posts |
Edited Jul 20, 2010, 19:23
Jul 20, 2010, 18:21
|
||
|
No penguins in Namibia now (as far as I know) but not all that far south in South Africa they do http://www.flickr.com/photos/71451816@N00/sets/72157602525057311/ so they may well have been in Namibia in the past! Depends on the sea currents - there are cold currents where they are in SA. They still have sealions (aka fur seals) in Namibia for similar reasons http://www.flickr.com/photos/71451816@N00/sets/72157602522359980/ Have posted it before, but here's the quite British looking stuff in Namibia that Jane mentioned http://www.flickr.com/photos/71451816@N00/1633388618/in/set-72157602522359626/ (Hope the links work!) love Moth
|
|||
Littlestone 5386 posts |
Jul 20, 2010, 18:32
|
||
|
Hob wrote: You got a point there. The ones without the radial ducts (or whatever the right term is) don't have as much 'oompf'. Something to do with the contrast between the ideas of linearity and circularity? It's a puzzle for sure. You could carve several circles and then cut through them but why end each circle (where the line cuts through them) with a 'wall'? Has the birth canal been suggested before? I'm thinking stages in pregnancy (the circles) with the main feature (the line) indicating the passage from the womb to the world. I dunno... (how many theories are there now :-)
|
| Pages: 12 – [ Previous | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Next ] | Add a reply to this topic |
|
|
|
| The Modern Antiquarian Forum Index | |
