Archaeologists Discover New Style of Ancient Aboriginal Rock Art

Description

Archaeologists in Australia have identified a new Aboriginal rock art style in the country’s western territory that dates back to the mid-to-late Holocene age, around 7,000 to 5,000 years ago. In a study published by the journal Australian Archaeology in February, researchers proposed that zoomorphic rock paintings found in the Kimberley region should be classified as a new type of ancient Aboriginal art dubbed Linear Naturalistic Figures (LNF). The ancient works had previously been grouped with the Irregular Infill Animal Period (IIAP), Australia’s oldest known rock art style that dates back 17,500 years. Led by postdoctoral researcher Ana Paula Motta and her colleagues at the University of Western Australia, the study was conducted in collaboration with the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, the authoritative body that manages land across northeast Kimberley on behalf of the Balanggarra People. The researchers assessed 151 rock art sites featuring more than 4,200 motifs, including paintings previously categorized as IIAP. Archaeologists found that 98 of these IIAP motifs contained characteristics inconsistent with the rock art style’s conventions, leading them to argue that the works should be categorized under LNF.