rock art

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tiompan T
tiompan Jan 9, 2012 15:35:23
Replying to Sanctuary

Sanctuary wrote:
paganman wrote:
Why is it so hard to find rock art I love looking at the images but I've given up so many times looking for various places.
May I just broaden out on this as a complete rock-art dimwit and ask if it is found mainly in areas of past occupation or virtually anywhere?
Settlement is a perennial problem , where did eveybody live ? Little doubt about Skara Bare which does have rock art but oddly it is not in the tradition of cup and rings etc .

RA is very localised with whole swathes of the UK RA free .The hottest spots are parts of moorland Yorkshire through to Northumberland moorland with big gaps in between then in Scotland some areas of intense ornate markings in mostly low lying Dumfries and Galloway ,Kilmartin and moorland Strathtay . I think it is a reasonable assumption in some cases where clusters of RA are found in conjuction with other monuments , decent grazing and relatively fertile soil that it would be close to unrecognised settlement .There are also examples of single or small groupings separated by 0.5 -4 km , being found on what looks like obvious routes .

D drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 9, 2012 14:59:43
Replying to tiompan

Not forgetting all of that RA you found beside Rhynie!

T tjj
tjj Jan 9, 2012 19:40:34
Replying to tiompan

tiompan wrote:
Sanctuary wrote:
paganman wrote:
Why is it so hard to find rock art I love looking at the images but I've given up so many times looking for various places.
May I just broaden out on this as a complete rock-art dimwit and ask if it is found mainly in areas of past occupation or virtually anywhere?
Settlement is a perennial problem , where did eveybody live ? Little doubt about Skara Bare which does have rock art but oddly it is not in the tradition of cup and rings etc .

RA is very localised with whole swathes of the UK RA free .The hottest spots are parts of moorland Yorkshire through to Northumberland moorland with big gaps in between then in Scotland some areas of intense ornate markings in mostly low lying Dumfries and Galloway ,Kilmartin and moorland Strathtay . I think it is a reasonable assumption in some cases where clusters of RA are found in conjuction with other monuments , decent grazing and relatively fertile soil that it would be close to unrecognised settlement .There are also examples of single or small groupings separated by 0.5 -4 km , being found on what looks like obvious routes .

A very helpful post Tiompan (good to see you back). The type of local geology/rock must also have a bearing too. For example, there is no rock art as such (except perhaps one stone up near the Polisher) in Wiltshire because the local sarsen is so hard. I wonder if you could say what is the predominant type of rock to have rockart on it - I know one would be sandstone but don't know what type of stone was used at Knowth for instance.