One question frequently heard in rock art studies is “are these border markers?” Rock art is often proposed to have been placed in a certain location as a sign post to other people than the area’s inhabitants.
I remember that back in the 1980s many of my co-enthusiasts placed a great deal of significance in the location of rock art, and they were probably correct in doing so. If rock art was near signs of habitation it was supposedly placed there like a public sign, perhaps for educational purposes. If it was sort of hidden away in an alcove or something it was thought to have been placed there for secret rites and ceremonies. But, if it was in a location that is easy to see, and without any nearby signs of occupation, it was thought to possibly be some sort of boundary marker.
This theory has again come up along the Orinoco River in Columbia and Venezuela, images of gigantic snakes assumed to represent border markers, or warnings – sort of a NO TRESSPASSING sign. “Our results demonstrate the profound influence of artistic practices on pre-Columbian cultural landscapes. Even considering the exceptional diversity and size of many northern South American rock art sites. Middle Orinoco monumental engravings represent a unique tradition of large-scale artistic production. Ethnohistorical and archaeological data illustrate the multi-ethnic character of Indigenous societies in the region with recent work showing how symbolic material culture was key to negotiating identities in an environment of sustained cultural interaction. The potential associations of these sites with Indigenous myths today underscore the central role of rock art in the appropriation of contested landscapes. With reference to the perilous connotations of gigantic snakes emphasized in, for example, Piaroa and Warekena (Arawak) myths alike, we suggest that pre-Columbian people perceived the gigantic snakes as an ever-present reminder of ancient conflicts and negotiations between supernatural beings and humans. As cultural agents, these motifs would need to be related to accordingly. - Our analysis of monumental rock art suggests that panels likely acted as markers on the edges of group boundaries, and as a protective agent within domestic spaces. The visibility and prominence of gigantic snake outcrops from the river and riverbanks emphasizes this notion.” (Riris et al. 2024) It has been suggested that some of these snakes are the largest petroglyphs ever recorded. I couldn’t speak to that except to remind readers that there are some pretty big examples of rock art all over the world. These, however, were apparently placed where they were purposely to be seen, and great size enhances that emphasis.
“During the 18th century C.E. voyagers roving (?) the Orinoco River—a vast watery highway stretching across the northeastern corner of South America—reported dozens of mysterious rock engravings of snakes crowning the rocky hilltops. The engravings have remained mysterious over the centuries, their whereabouts in today’s Colombia and Venezuela largely passed down by local word of mouth. Now, in the first systematic study by modern archaeologists, researchers have mapped 13 sites bearing gigantic pre-Hispanic artwork—mostly of serpents—confirming both local stories and explorers’ accounts.” (Rubiano A. 2024) Sparsely occupied and remote areas will obviously be explored later, and science gets to them last.
“Depictions of anacondas, centipedes, human figures and giant rodents are among the engravings which may hark back to myths told for more than 2,000 years. Now the first scientific documentation of this art finds that some of these engravings are among the largest in the world. Their size makes them visible from a distance, suggesting they were used as ancient signposts that told travelers along the prehistoric trade route whose territory they were entering and leaving.” (Pappas 2024) Remember, the serpent as a theme is common in rock art throughout North and Central America, so this extends that theme farther south into South America. They do not all mean the same thing, but whatever their local meaning they are common.
“Separately, we have carried out excavations, material culture analyses and chronometric dating on pre-Columbian settlement sites in and around the Atures Rapids. This work has documented a succession of cultural complexes that span two main periods: an early occupation period ranging from 100 BC–AD 620 (Saladoid-Barrancoid and Cedeñoid ceramics, Early Picure complex) and a late occupation period from AD 1030–1480 (Arauquinoid, Valloid and Nericagua ceramics; Late Picure/Late Rabo de Cochino complexes). Following ephemeral initial occupations, settlements grew over time, culminating in the establishment of several multi-ethnic communities before the Conquest (AD 1500). Although not directly dated, a small number of petroglyph motifs are paralleled in archaeological ceramic decoration.” (Riris et al. 2024) Which may help in the dating, common themes may have common meaning and indicate a common time frame. The idea being that as a culture evolves and its beliefs are altered by time, the symbols and visual icons to represent them will also evolve.
“Starting at least 9200 years ago,
several Indigenous groups inhabited the Orinoco region. Distinct styles of
quartz tools, clay pots, and other objects suggest these groups used the river
as a highway to trade objects, techniques, and materials. By the time the first
Spanish missionaries arrived in the 14th century, at least seven different
groups were trading, marrying, allying, and fighting with one another in a
complex political network. Some contemporary Indigenous groups, including the
Arawaks and Piaroa, descend from these ancient societies. When the researchers
behind the new study first arrived in the region in 2015, they were stunned by
the engravings made by the ancient Indigenous people. “The first time I saw one
of them, it was from the window of a moving vehicle, [seeing a] hill like any
other hill, but all of a sudden, [the snake] appeared,” recalls Philip Riris,
an archaeologist at Bournemouth University and lead author of the study.” (Rubiano 2024)
“Though area residents have long
been aware of the rock art, the archeology of the Middle to Upper Orinoco had
been little studied by outsiders, says paper co-author Jose R. Oliver, a reader
in Latin American archeology at University College London. He and his
co-authors, Philip Riris of Bournemouth University in England and Natalia
Lozada Mendieta of the University of the Andes in Columbia, wanted to document these
sites both for scientific and conservation reasons. They surveyed a region
centered around the Atures Rapids in the Middle Orinoco, a place where the
river becomes impassible by canoe and travelers have to portage over land.
‘Everything we knew about the archeology of the region suggested that it was
this meeting point where different cultures came together and actively traded
and, in some cases, probably intermarried,’ Riris says.” (Pappas 2024) Another example
perhaps of the local people always knowing about it but when a visitor from
outside first sees it, it is “discovered.”
So
to reiterate - if rock art was near habitation sites it was supposedly placed
there like a public sign for our own people, perhaps for educational purposes.
If it was sort of hidden away in an alcove or something it was thought to have
been placed there for secret rites and ceremonies. But, if it was in a location
that is easy to see, and without any nearby signs of occupation, it was thought
to possibly be some sort of boundary marker, a signboard or announcement to
others. The idea was that the location of a petroglyph or pictograph will help
deduce its possible meaning. Nowadays that idea goes under the more picturesque
designation of ‘Rock Art’s Placement in the Landscape’ but the basic theories
have changed very little.
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:
Pappas, Stephanie, 2024, Ancient Snake and Centipede Carvings Are Among World’s Largest Rock Engravings, 3 June 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com. Accessed online 4 June 2024.
Riris, Philip, Jose Ramon Oliver, Natalia Lozada Mendieta, 2024, Monumental Snake Engravings of the Orinoco River, 4 June 2024, Published online by Cambridge University Press, 4 June 2024, pp. 724-742, Accessed online 4 June 2024.
Rubiano A., Maria Paula, 2024, Gigantic snake carvings may have been ancient ‘road signs,’ 3 June
2024, https://www.science.org. Accessed online 4 June 2024
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