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

of the two smaller animals at Lombo da
Costa XXVIII, the two smaller animals as
drinking from a stream (Fig. 166). I do not
believe that cup-and-rings originally
symbolised water (although the similarity
with water ripples has been often put
FIG. 166: XXVIII. forward), but again I would rather like to
suggest that this occasionally may have been the interpretation of the
manufacturer of later engravings.
Similarly, also natural rock features (often collecting water !) may have
been interpreted by the carvers of the animals as symbolising water. A
possible example is found at Chandebrito (Fig 167), where an animal
may be approaching or drinking from a stream, represented by a natural
channel from a large natural basin (called “pia”), possibly representing
the pool which is bordered by simple cupules.
FIGURE 167: DA LAPELA 5, CHANDEBRITO.
But there are more instances. At Os Carballos there is a large stag
(Fig. 161.B), which seems to be in close contact with a cup-and-five
rings, although in the original drawings by Peña (1993: 31) there is no
question of superimposition (Fig. 161.4). However, an excellent
photograph in the same booklet shows that the head of the animal
partially overlaps the outer ring of the cup-and-ring (Fig. 161.5) which
again could be interpreted as an animal “drinking from a pool”, a place
M. van HOEK: 207
GEOGRAPHY