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

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Then remains the question why deer or stags are predominating in Galicia (and why human figures in Scandinavia) when cup-and-rings were “re-sanctified” ? In this respect it is important to realise that in general prehistoric people must have been aware of a great number of animal species. Yet they often chose to engrave only a very limited range of animals, which indicates that differential decision-making processes were at work. The selection of certain animal species indicates that these animals in particular were considered suitable subjects to depict on account of their social and religious importance. They often were ascribed specific properties that no other animal possessed. Just possibly in Galicia only stags were considered potent and worthy enough to “carry the sun across the skies”. Another interesting new view is held by Vázques who interprets some cup-and-rings as (water) resources in the landscape. There are, worldwide, many more instances of associations of petroglyphs with water or water resources, like the petroglyphs near wells in the south of Africa and in river-gorges in the Atacama desert of Chile. One interesting example, the use of taheta at Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, combines this view with a variation on the veil-theory. According to Lee (1992: 162) the term taheta, in general, applies to (natural or man-made) basins in rock, rarely enhanced by carvings, meant to collect rainwater. And although some may have been used for pounding materials or as containers for tattoo-dye, it has also been suggested (Lee 1992: 162) that they were used by priests who, gazing into the reflecting liquid, could see into the spirit world. Similarly, the Galician examples of “re-sanctification” may be a continuation of the concept that the rock surface served as a kind of veil between the natural and supernatural world. Specific animals, important in their culture, were selected because only these animals were considered to be able to penetrate the veil. The fact that one engraved animals for this purpose and not human figures may indicate that part of their concept was that ordinary people were not allowed to go through the veil. Access was restricted to a few privileged people (possibly disguised as stags on those occasions). But in order to maintain contact with and control over the community, it would be necessary for the insiders to make non-ordinary reality a reality for the ordinary people. One way of doing this could have been to depict the stag, an animal that was recognised and considered extremely potent by every member of the group, initially using cup-and-rings as entrances to the other side. Later, the engraving of such animals sufficed and cup-and-rings were no longer needed. The instances of “re-sanctification” in Bohuslän may be explained by the idea that cup-and-rings were regarded by Bronze Age people as old solar symbols and were incorporated into a human design in order to create a “sun-god”. At first, it seems, this “re-sanctification” took M. van HOEK: 210 GEOGRAPHY
place in rather peaceful cultures, whereas later a more belligerent society emerged. This change seems to be reflected in the two different types of “disc-men”. The above examples of “re-sanctification” illustrate that petroglyphs often offer excellent records of cultural changes. One of the most important changes in prehistory concerns the switch from the use of stone tools to metal tools and weapons. It proves that again only in Galicia (and rarely in Scandinavia) there occur instances where combinations of cup-and-rings with metal weaponry appear on open air rock surfaces. Please go to Chapter 2.2.5. M. van HOEK: 211 GEOGRAPHY
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The World of Petroglyphs CD Special
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Impressum: Stonewatch Society for c
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M. van HOEK: GEOGRAPHY INDEX PART 1
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lifetime job. For instance, it took
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* 1.1.2 THE LIMITS OF THE SUBJECT *
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geomorphologic characteristics of t
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The Irish island has three major op
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� CHAPTER 1.2.1 � THE KILMARTIN
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It is certain that, also in the Kil
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possible site of menhir 8 are surro
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interfered with their observations.
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* 1.2.1.2 PETROGLYPHS AND INTERVISI
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* 1.2.1.2.1.1 The west route initia
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and the possible landing site. View
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photo photo photo FIG. 14: THE EAST
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Achnabreck is a complex of nine wid
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standing stone in Fig. 6) and for t
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The situation in the study area dif
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art sites in the study area (and el
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major route through the interior, a
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* 1.2.2.1.3 Still further east anot
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the rock art groups as their ritual
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elatively level land. These groups
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top of a protruding rock shelter. I
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map map map map map FIG. 26b: BRADL
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impossible that these two sites eve
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* 1.2.3.2.5 The group north of Roth
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illus FIGURE 32: VIEWS FROM THE CHA
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not mean that this has been intende
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concentrations of stone circles and
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my study area. Their distribution m
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on the coast opposite Muros peninsu
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illus FIGURE 39: PETROGLYPH SITES A
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FIG.42: SANTA TECLA, CASTRO. instan
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small bit of the Taxes valley (mark
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Moreover, from whatever direction t
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argue that all these sites command
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One petroglyph outcrop stone is eve
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� CHAPTER 1.3.2 � GARGAMALA, A
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FIGURE 52: VISIBILITY FROM THE SITE
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encircle the ridge. Also the distri
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idge, centring on sites 3 and 4. Wh
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APPENDIX 1 AN INVENTORY OF THE ROCK
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Group 7C. Described by COSTAS GOBER
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and is approximately 1 to 0.5 cm de
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� CHAPTER 1.4 � THE ALPS, THE B
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* 1.4.1.1.1 There indeed prove to b
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* 1.4.1.1.2 Although the Alps are r
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FIG. 63: PART OF COREN DE LE FATE,
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floodplain of the valley of the Upp
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This rock also features a small cup
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idge called Crete des Barmes, only
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� CHAPTER 1.4.2 � ELVAS AND SPR
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photo photo photo photo FIG. 77: TH
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found linearly grouped along a stee
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undertaken (Figs 84 and 85). The tr
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FIGURE 87: SPRONS 2. The lack of ro
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especially dealing with the distrib
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In many rock art regions there seem
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occur in a vast area. Many cupules
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� CHAPTER 1.5.1 � DISTRIBUTION
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icecap first caused the land to sin
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the study area, especially in Swede
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illus. illus. FIG. 97: ROCK ART DIS
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islands in bays or in lake systems
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* 1.5.3.1.1 It is remarkable that r
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* 1.5.3.2.2 Probably the youngest r
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* 1.5.3.2.4.1 Almost every part of
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claiming the rock art at Helgaberg/
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This notch is also the first natura
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Another cupuled stone has been repo
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Swedish distribution moreover echoe
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APPENDIX 2. Spreadsheet summarising
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APPENDIX 4. A HORDALAND (Area 2) 37
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APPENDIX 6 There is always a proble
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� CHAPTER 2.1 � DISTRIBUTION OF
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centripetal pull. Not only impressi
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* 2.1.1 THE ALPINE SITUATION * We a
Page 165 and 166: * 2.1.2 THE BRITISH ISLES * Contrar
Page 167 and 168: FIGURE 129. BALLOCHMYLE. THIS IS A
Page 169 and 170: * 2.1.3 GALICIA * Unfortunately, th
Page 171 and 172: The distribution in south Sweden is
Page 173 and 174: � CHAPTER 2.2 � INSTANCES OF
Page 175 and 176: G stops at motif D. This proves tha
Page 177 and 178: example occurs at Gargamala 7J, Gal
Page 179 and 180: “....but 3 is special. It is one
Page 181 and 182: ILLUS FIGURE 140: ROCK ART ON TOP O
Page 183 and 184: * 2.2.1.1.3 GREENLAND * Unfortunate
Page 185 and 186: In my opinion, the Greenland raft o
Page 187 and 188: FOSSUM VITLYCKE HERREBRO LÖKEBERG
Page 189 and 190: on the same panel as the boat figur
Page 191 and 192: Equally, cup-and-rings sometimes ha
Page 193 and 194: Could this be an indication of a ma
Page 195 and 196: Such human figures have been labell
Page 197 and 198: earlier rosette figures and the cup
Page 199 and 200: FIGURE 155: FINNTORP, PHASES OF ENG
Page 201 and 202: solar symbolism as well. Later in t
Page 203 and 204: � CHAPTER 2.2.4 � GALICIA: THE
Page 205 and 206: animals, probably because of lack o
Page 207 and 208: The fact that this is not the case,
Page 209 and 210: FIGURE 161: OS CARBALLOS. M. van HO
Page 211 and 212: � SCANDINAVIAN SOLAR ANIMALS �
Page 213 and 214: of the two smaller animals at Lombo
Page 215: For the rest, combinations of cup-a
Page 219 and 220: A B� FIG. 174: A: RI CRUIN CIST;
Page 221 and 222: If indeed this engraving is a true
Page 223 and 224: other sites known to depict weaponr
Page 225 and 226: Illapel and La Silla belong to the
Page 227 and 228: * 3.1.3 COMPLEX MOTIFS * From the a
Page 229 and 230: � 3.2 THE CUP-AND-RING IN EUROPE
Page 231 and 232: The best way to achieve and maintai
Page 233 and 234: executed. This may explain why the
Page 235 and 236: and it seems that cup-and-ring site
Page 237 and 238: * 3.2.3 ENTRANCES TO THE SPIRIT WOR
Page 239 and 240: suggested that cupules symbolise th
Page 241 and 242: * 3.2.5 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CUPULES
Page 243 and 244: These migrations and explorations c
Page 245 and 246: andomly placed on the rocks, were e
Page 247 and 248: Later in the Neolithic more revolut
Page 249 and 250: The section below serves to acknowl
Page 251 and 252: 14. BEDNARIK, R. G. 1996. Early roc
Page 253 and 254: 39. COSTAS GOBERNA, F. J., NOVOA Á
Page 255 and 256: 63. MARK, R. & NEWMAN, E. 1995. Cup
Page 257 and 258: 88. PETTERSSON, J. & G. KRISTIANSSO
Page 259 and 260: 113. VAN HOEK, M. 1988b. Possible
Page 261: 137. VAN HOEK, M. & SMITH, C. 1988.
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Maarten van Hoek The Geography of Cup-and-Ring ... - StoneWatch

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