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

� CHAPTER 2.2 �
INSTANCES OF “RE-SANCTIFICATION”
OF EUROPEAN CUP-AND-RINGS
� INTRODUCTION �
The first time I came across the term “re-sanctification” in relation
with Neolithic cup-and-ring art, was in a book by Beckensall & Laurie
(1998). In this comprehensive work on rock art in the north of England
the authors stated that they discovered an instance of prehistoric
quarrying of a cup-and-ring site, followed by renewed execution of cupand-ring
engraving. This practice was labelled “re-sanctification” by
them. Instances of “re-sanctification” will be the subject of the
following four chapters and Chapter 2.2.1 will especially deal with the
concept of quarrying.
Their use of the term “re-sanctification” within the quarrying context
was rather obscure, however. From their description it seemed as if
“re-sanctification” was something special; an exception. But it must not
be forgotten that it has been a
normal practice to add new cup-andrings
to existing sites over very
long periods of time. It is even
possible that the cup-and-ring
tradition of a certain area stopped
for a while and that later the
practice revived again; for instance
when large sets of multiple ring
systems were introduced (Chapter
FIG. 133 A: WEETWOOD 9
AND B: CHATTON 1.
2.1). This may have led to the
replenishment of existing cup-andrings.
Although scientific proof is
lacking, there are quite a few instances where it is feasible that new
ringmarks were added to existing cup-and-rings. Further on I will
discuss a fine example at Lombo da Costa, Galicia. But there are other
indications of “re-sanctification”.
Occasionally instances of superimposition and incorporation also occur
and it may be significant that mainly the group of simpler cup-and-rings
became incorporated or superimposed. Notice for example that the
third inner ring at Weetwood 9 is flattened to avoid the existing cupand-two-rings
nearby, while the outer ring is interrupted by the cupand-two
rings (Fig. 133.A); and at Chatton 1 a cup-and-one-ring is
incorporated into a large multiple ring system (Fig. 133.B). Similar
M. van HOEK: 167 GEOGRAPHY