ANOTHER CLAIMED VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN ROCK ART:

Cakallar volcano from SE Turkey.

 Livescience.com.

Credit Erdal Gumus.

I have often expressed my conviction that some rock art would have been made to record remarkable events in the lives of the people, and one remarkable event would certainly be the eruption of a volcano. I have previously written columns about three claims of records of volcanic eruptions. The earliest, on February 27, 2016, titled A Claimed Volcanic Eruption Pictured In Rock Art, about claims that a cave painting in Chauvet Pont-d'Arc, France, recorded an eruption from 37,000 BP, and the second, on April 30, 2016, titled Ancient Map Preserved In A Mural Of Volcanic Eruptions At Catalhoyuk, speculating about an eruption in Turkey in ca. 7,500 BCE.

The third was my attempt to stick a pin in a bogus interpretation of the panel at Petroglyph Point in Mesa Verde National Park as including an illustration of a volcanic eruption. This was posted on May 7, 2016, titled Geology In Rock Art - A Volcanic Eruption At Petroglyph Point?, Mesa Verde - Not By A Long Shot, answering a claim in the 1999 book Odyssey of the Pueblos, by William M. Eaton.

Now a new report is claiming that an eruption of a volcano named Cakallar was recorded in a cave painting about a mile and a quarter from the volcano and has been dated to 4,700 years ago. Dating of the volcanic residue was accomplished with two different techniques. "The first of the dating techniques the researchers used measured uranium and thorium's decay into helium to calculate the age of small zircon crystals retrieved from the site. The second method, meanwhile, tracked radioactive chlorine levels that indicate how long the volcanic rocks had been situated near the Earth's surface. Together, this analysis places the Cakallar eruptions around 4,700 years ago." (Geggel 2019)

False color photo of one

of the footprints.

Livescience.com.

The area came to the attention of the science world in 1968 when workers at the site of a nearby dam noticed well-preserved tracks in the volcanic ash deposits. "Small prints at the site indicate that these ancient people used walking staffs and were accompanied by an unknown species of Canis, a genus that includes wolves, coyotes and dogs, the researchers added." (Geggel 2019)

Enhanced photograph of the panel,

Livescience.com.

The footprints and the rock painting are assumed to date from roughly the same time and are credited to the same culture. "According to both the study and Turkish archaeology news site Arkeolojik Haber, the artwork in question is known as the Kanlitas rock painting. Found just 1.24 miles away from the footprints, the ocher drawing depicts a cone-shaped structure topped by a crater-like elipsis. A thick line below the cone could show lava flow and falling rocks, while scattered lines surrounding the painting's focal point could represent volcanic vents." (Solly 2019)

Reconstruction of the painting.

Livescience.com.

Did you notice what happened here? In the report, the researchers used the phrases "could show" and "could represent", while in the headlines about it most of the articles are much more positive as in the "Rock Art and Footprints Reveal How Ancient Humans Responded to Volcanic Eruption" from smithsonianmag.com. To my way of thinking we see way too much of this sort of thing in rock art analysis and interpretation. This may mean, and that might mean, so together they definitely prove that - - - - - -. Possibilities are not proof. Using possibilities as evidence you can only achieve a possible conclusion.

While this is all certainly possible, I must say that I am not convinced. I see what they are saying but it is not very convincing. I just sort of think that the artist 4,700 years ago could have drawn a much more convincing mountain. I guess I will just have to keep looking for volcanoes in rock art.

NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Faris, Peter

2016 A Claimed Volcanic Eruption Pictured In Rock Art, February 27, 2016, https://rockartblog.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano

2016 Ancient Map Preserved In A Mural Of Volcanic Eruptions At Catalhoyuk, April 30, 2016, https://rockartblog.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano

2016 Geology In Rock Art - A Volcanic Eruption At Petroglyph Point, Mesa Verde? - Not By A Long Shot, https://rockartblog.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano%Petroglyph%20Point

Geggel, Laura

2019 Ancient People Watched a Volcano Erupt. This May Be Their Illustration of It, May 31, 2019, https://livescience.com/65609-ancient-volcano-rock-art.html

Solly, Meilan

2019 Rock Art and Footprints Reveal How Ancient Humans Responded to Volcanic Eruption, June 4, 2019, Smithsonian.com, https:/www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rock-art-footprints-reveal-how-ancient-humans-responded-volcanic-eruption-180972337