Continuing in very Southern Utah: Great petroglyph panel
Feb 18, 2020 08:44:09 #
I have come across literally thousands of petroglyph panels in my forty plus years of backpacking in Utah, some famous some never photographed before. For some reason the ones here (photos 4-7, photo 3 is of a separate panel) moved me more than any others I've ever come across.
Feb 18, 2020 09:00:05 #
To me it's amazing to see so many of the same / similar figures that makes you wonder about the possibility of the same artist(s). And then with the likelihood of 'no, not the same person', how did they communicate the same design over places, and people, and years? Thank you for some new examples to ponder. 
Feb 18, 2020 09:02:27 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
To me it's amazing to see so many of the same / similar figures that makes you wonder about the possibility of the same artist(s). And then with the likelihood of 'no, not the same person', how did they communicate the same design over places, and people, and years? Thank you for some new examples to ponder.
You're welcome! but what I've never seen before (anywhere) are those weird crosses.
Feb 18, 2020 09:11:44 #
wilderness wrote:
You're welcome! but what I've never seen before (anywhere) are those weird crosses.
I haven't seen 'crosses' like this either, but they explained in Petroglyph Natl Monument in New Mexico that 'modern' graffiti into the 1800s can make it hard for us 21st century people to recognize the differences. For the true 'old' markings, what we see as a 'cross' maybe something different to the ancients, similar to what we see as a 'swastika' was a counting device for family trees in the ancient's art. Those skinny figures with hands up and the antelopes (?) match almost exactly to images I have from both Colorado and New Mexico.
Feb 18, 2020 09:25:06 #
Feb 18, 2020 10:30:13 #
Glad to see they haven’t been vandalized by thoughtless individuals. On Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge in extreme SE Oregon there are several I have visited. Wisely, the road and trail, which is little used, that leads to them is completely unmarked as such. You have to ask at the headquarters and get directions to find them. That practice seems to severely limit visits and potential for vandalism. A good practice methinks. Thanks for posting these. I enjoyed your efforts.
Feb 18, 2020 10:40:12 #
Congratulations on your dedication and photography skills. Hope the petroglyph panel is protected as a historical national treasure. All such masterpieces do not have to be restricted to museums. How about no. 3 with the bow hunters and the desert bighorn sheep?
Feb 18, 2020 12:59:30 #
wilderness wrote:
I have come across literally thousands of petroglyph panels in my forty plus years of backpacking in Utah, some famous some never photographed before. For some reason the ones here (photos 4-7, photo 3 is of a separate panel) moved me more than any others I've ever come across.
Feb 18, 2020 18:16:18 #
Feb 19, 2020 05:59:28 #
chippy65
Loc: Cambridge
Some similarities with Australian rock art, but I suspect the Aussie versions are much older?
Feb 19, 2020 07:03:06 #
Feb 19, 2020 08:58:12 #
wilderness wrote:
I have come across literally thousands of petroglyph panels in my forty plus years of backpacking in Utah, some famous some never photographed before. For some reason the ones here (photos 4-7, photo 3 is of a separate panel) moved me more than any others I've ever come across.
Definitely fine photos of these petroglyphs.
Feb 19, 2020 09:56:32 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
I haven't seen 'crosses' like this either, but the... (show quote)
That's another full jump in thought! For instance, how many generations of ancients were involved in this "skinny figures with hands up and four-legged critters" to traverse this distance?
Feb 19, 2020 10:45:46 #
You have discovered some beautiful things here. Thank you for posting. And ancient artwork to boot.
Feb 19, 2020 12:27:53 #
CanonShot wrote:
That's another full jump in thought! For instance, how many generations of ancients were involved in this "skinny figures with hands up and four-legged critters" to traverse this distance?
The Petroglyphs in what is now the American SW are mostly associated with the cultures the created the cliff dwellings in the Four-Corners region where UT-AZ-NM-CO come together. The Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, New Mexico includes this research:
Archaeologists can date some carvings, found primarily in the Boca Negra Canyon area, as far back as 3000 years ago. The relative age is determined based on the darkness of the image, its context, and its comparison to other works of the same age. It is estimated that about 90 percent of the petroglyphs were created during the period between AD 1300 until the end of the 1600s because of the "Southwestern Style" used. At this time, the Native population was increasing quickly and pueblo adobe villages were being built along the Rio Grande River and at the base of the Sandia Mountains.
The roughly 1300 AD date is also about the time the peoples of the Four Corners, about 150 miles northwest of Albuquerque, just up and left their cliff dwelling in places like Mesa Verde. What people haven't been able to figure out is what the Petroplyph 'mean'. Pure art? Graffiti? Meeting points? Directional signs? Territorial Markers? All / other?
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