This was in the news today:
World’s Oldest Cave Art Found—Made by Neanderthals?
While on our trip, we visited about a dozen sites with petroglyphs and pictographs, although the ones we saw were only about 800 to 1500 years old. Most of the sites we saw were made relatively recently, reportedly, by Mogollon, Pueblo, Hopi or Anasazi, or by the Archaic People who predated them.
The boys learned that pictographs are rock paintings, while petroglyphs are pictures that are etched, carved or chiseled into rocks. On this trip we saw mostly petroglyphs, but both are pretty amazing.
Funny story: Most rangers, scholars, archeologists and Native Americans attribute rock paintings as have religious, ceremonial or historical significance. But there is a good chance that some petroglyphs/pictographs are just ancient graffiti. You know, a couple of hunters waiting around, having a conversation like this:
Hunter #1: What are you gonna do?
Hunter #2: I dunno, what are you gonna do?
Hunter #1: I dunno, take a nap maybe
Hunter #2: I’m gonna draw that elk that we tried to kill today on this here rock. I will call it “The One That Got Away”
Let’s face it, in a lot of ways, men have not changed much in the past few thousand years. If you ever want to frustrate an archeologist, ask them if a site might just be ancient graffiti. They usually turn red and get flustered, then give a lame explanation as to why that is not the case.
I thought I might post a few of the best shots we took:
