thesweetcheat wrote:
Chris Collyer wrote:
Kozmik_Ken wrote:
It may even be someones misguided idea of helping to highlight the designs, rather than plain vandalism.
I hope that dye isn't weather resistant.
That was my thought, it did remind me of the days when carvings where sometimes chalked to make them more visible. If Tom's suggestion of charcoal is right then at least it should wash off without any further intervention.
-Chris
It's interesting to speculate that charcoal may actually have been used to "bring out" the carvings when they were first done. Has there ever been evidence of prehistoric use of charcoal (and other plant, etc substances) to highlight rock art? Just a thought.
You wouldn't be able tell if the RA was open air , British climate taphonomy etc .Newgrange is well protected and dry , no evidence of anything from there , doesnt' mean that they wern't highlighted or coloured though . Freshly marked rock is pretty striking enough on it's own with good contrast of old surface and new and if quartz is used the markings are brilliant white , for a while .Some markings may have been "re-done " .
