Maarten van Hoek The Geography of Cup-and-Ring ... - StoneWatch

approval and protection of their gods and deities must be had at all
times.
Prehistoric people probably believed that spirits lived in the
supernatural world which could be reached behind the surfaces of the
rocks. By ritually engraving or painting a rock surface with all kind of
magical symbols, often related to the sun and the moon, privileged
people like shamans in trance or priests, had access to the supernatural
world. Thus many prehistoric engravings could be regarded as
metaphoric “entrances” to the supernatural world.
The first symbols ritually hammered out by Neolithic migrants in
Europe probably were simple cupules, carved at random. Later complex
symbols appeared. It is significant that mainly simple motifs are found
along the routes through the Alps; the Valcamonica in Italy, the Val
d’Isere in France and Carschenna in Switzerland being exceptions. This
may point to great antiquity of these routes, although it must be
emphasised here that cupules (in general as well as in the Alps) are
often of different ages. But definitely the siting of such ritual sites in
the valleys of the Etsch and the Eisack was in no way haphazard. In
most cases such sites were located at the entrances of the side valleys
or at points where the route went in another direction. In many cases
only one rock with a small number of cupules is found on such spots.
It seems that, in general, petroglyphs were created at special places in
the landscape where either the traveller required extra approval of
the spirit world or where the priests of the group retreated to in
order to undertake their metaphorical travels to the supernatural
world. In both cases it is no surprise that we find petroglyphs at
rather high altitudes (but by no way on the highest points available)
and at more isolated places at the margins of the occupied areas. It
seems as if the spirit world should not be disturbed by “trivial” every
day activities. From their relative high and isolated position they could
overlook the route and the people that used the area and protect them
from a distance. In this respect the siting of the rock art sites
resembles the position of the mediaeval castles; in both cases the
siting expresses the desire to organise and control the landscape,
which is best done from elevated positions with a good view.
In every area this practice gave rise to the development of ceremonial
centres at special places, possibly in order to cause a strong
centripetal pull in analogy with the great burial tombs of Ireland. At
such centres one usually finds an accumulation of engravings.
* 1.4.2.1 Such a ceremonial centre no doubt once existed in the
Eisacktal as well. North of the mediaeval town of Brixen is a relatively
low hill on which the village of Elvas is situated (for location see Fig.
77 and number 11 on Figs 76 or 58). Just south of Elvas is a low hillock,
853 m high Pinazbichl or Pinatzkopfs, which has clearly been the focus
M. van HOEK: 103
GEOGRAPHY