| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of semiotics |
| Editors | Paul Bouissac |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
| Pages | 544-547 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0195120905 |
| Publication status | Published - 1998 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
‘Rock art’ is a global phenomenon that has its origins in the nascent cognitive and representational capabilities of foraging communities who lived approximately 40 000 years ago (see Jaynes 1976). ‘Rock art’ is physically manifest in the form of engravings, paintings, sculptures and combinations of engraving, painting and sculpture. ‘Rock art’ images are most often executed on a rock support such as a boulder, cave, glacial pavement, stone or even landscape. For example, the Nasca lines found in modern-day Peru are a synthesis that incorporates imagery, rock and landscape.