Rock art occurs all over the world, and in the US the largest concentrations are in the western states. In Nevada, and depending on who you talk to rock art dates back at least several thousand years and possibly much older. The majority of the rock art in this area was created by either the Southern Paiute or the Western Shoshone, but the Anasazi also made their presence known in southern Nevada.
Rock Art: The generic term used to cover everything: including petroglyphs, pictographs, and intaglios.
Petroglyphs: Are carved, pecked, chipped, scratched, or abraded into stone. Petroglyphs can be made on just about any stone, but very hard or very soft stones are not as conducive as say basalt would be.
Pictographs: Is the placement of pigment on a stone. It is usually brushed, blown, or smeared onto the surface. Pictographs are not as durable as petroglyphs and are not normally found out in the open. They are usually in a more protected area such as under an overhang or in a rock shelter / cave.
Intaglios / geoglyph: Intaglios are areas of cleared ground that usually form a pattern or drawing on the ground. Other times rocks are aligned to form a pattern on the ground. Rock alignments may point to a prominent landscape feature or even in a true north south arrangement.
Basic Terms:
Abstract: In rock art it refers to non-representational images. Mostly vague or shapeless images that are combinations of wavy lines, dots, circles, or straight lines. Often attributed to hunter gatherers of the Great Basin.
Anasazi: From approximately 1200 BC to around the mid 1500's the Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloan) mainly occupied the four corners area of the southwest (northern Arizona and southern Utah) but also made it as far west as the Las Vegas Valley (click here to see Basic Timeline and Map).
Anthropomorph: Having the general shape, form or can be recognized as being human. They can be as simple as stick figures to elaborate representations of the human figure.
Archaic (Desert): The period following the Paleo period approximately 6500 BC to 1200 BC. The peoples of the archaic period were hunter gatherers and can be either representational or abstract.
Athabascan: Group of languages that originated in Canada and spread trough migration into the American southwest. Includes the Apache and Navajo languages.
Atlatl: Aka throwing stick. Acts as a lever used to throw a dart or small spear type projectile with greater power than just throwing a spear by hand. The Atlatl was in use from around 9000 BC until it was replaced by the bow and arrow around 400 AD.
Basketmakers: Early Anasazi prior to their pueblo living period. Approximately 1200 to AD 700.
Cairn: A small pile of rocks used to mark something.
Cupules: Cuplike depressions grounded into rock surfaces possibly used in ceremonies.
Desert Culture: Refers to the people who lived in the western section of the Great Basin.
Desert Varnish (patina): A dark coating that forms on exposed rocks. It's formed over long periods of time from a reaction of bacteria, manganese, iron, and clay.
Element: A single petroglyph. Multiple elements make up a panel.
Fremont Culture: People living in the western part of Colorado and central Utah north of the Anasazi around AD 400 to AD 1350.
Glyph: Short of petroglyph.
Grapevine Style: Found in the eastern Mojave of California and Nevada, especially found in Grapevine Canyon Nevada.
Great Basin Abstract Style: Consists of curvilinear and rectilinear styles similar to Anasazi geometric.
Curvilinear: Abstract motif consisting of rounded interconnected geometric shapes, spirals, circles, and zigzags. Believed to be some of the oldest rock art in the southwest possibly to around 8000 BC.
Rectilinear: Abstract similar to curvilinear except the elements are more square, rectangular, grids, rakes, dots, cross hatches, zigzags, and diamond shapes. Not as old as Curvilinear back to 3000 BC.
Great Basin Painted Style: Related to Abstract style characterized circles and parallel lines done in red and white pigments.
Great Basin Pit and Groove Style: Characterized by random or clustered pits 1" to 2" in diameter. Grooves are usually 1/4" deep and up to 1" wide.
Great Basin Scratched Style: Made with a sharp rock used to inscribed lines on another rock.
Historic Period: Approximately 1600 to present depending on where you are located.
Hunter-Gatherers: People that primarily obtain food by hunting, fishing by the men, and the gathering of seeds, berries and roots by the women.
Monochrome: One color.
Numic: Branch of the Uto-Aztecan family of languages.
Paiute: Northern Paiute ranged from eastern Oregon and California to western Nevada. The Southern Paiute ranged into southern Utah, southern Nevada to south east California and NW Arizona.
Panel: Usually an area that has more than one element of rock art on it. Multiple elements make up a panel.
Polychrome: More than one color
Representational: Represents real items that may be encountered during everyday activities.
Shaman: A spiritual leader.
Shoshone: Are divided into four groups:
Western Shoshone of Nevada and California
Wind River Shoshone of Wyoming
Northern Shoshone of Idaho and Utah
Comanche of West Texas
Spalling (exfoliation): A natural process in which layers of rock flake or pop off from the surface of rocks. Can be caused by weather, aging of the rock and even fire in close proximity
Talus slope: Usually a accumulation of rock debris at the base of a cliff or steep mountain slope.
Zoomorphs: Animal-like representations. Can range from simple stick figures to very detailed figures.
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