San Rock Art
A general definition
Rock art includes paintings and engravings made on rock formations like caves, cliffs and rock outcrops. Human beings have been making rock art for tens of thousands of years. People do still make rock art, but most of it is much older. Some rock art is tens of thousands of years old.
The Apollo stone, the oldest African rock art, 27 000 years old.
The Aggtelek caves in Slovenia
Landscape art
Rock art is a form of landscape art because the artists carefully chose where to make the images. These places often have great cultural significance.
The meaning and importance of the art draws on its place in the landscape. In ancient Europe people made rock art deep underground in limestone caves. Elsewhere, paintings are made on precipitous cliff faces or next to dangerous rapids.
What does it mean?
There is no single meaning to rock art worldwide. Rock art was made for various purposes by many different cultural groups, for example:
rock art can play a role in men and women’s initiation practices.
rock art is sometimes part of rainmaking practices.
rock art may play an important part in vision-questing.
rock art reveals the ‘unseen’ world of the spirits.
Driekopseiland
Rock Art in South Africa
Where to find Rock Art
There are rock art sites on every continent except Antarctica. About 47 rock art sites worldwide are UNESCO world heritage sites.
Southern Africa has some of the best preserved, detailed and beautiful rock art in the world. Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are especially rewarding rock art destinations but there is rock art in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland as well.
UNESCO World Heritage sites
Rock Art in Southern Africa