Rock Art in the Western Alps

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While the main concentration of Alpine rock art can be foundin the Valcamonica and Mt. Bego areas, important engravedrocks and petroglyphic complexes are scattered along thewhole Alpine arc, particularly in the western Alps. A big gaininto the knowledge of this geographical sector was obtainedduring the last quarter of the 20 th century. Various scholars2 andInstitutions worked and continue working in the area: amongthem we must cite the Archaeological Superintendence ofPiedmont, the GRCM (Mountain Research Culture Group) ofTurin, the CesMAP of Pinerolo, the Archaeological Museumof Cuneo, the SVAPA of Aosta, the Savoy Conservation

Gnrale du Patrimoine, Antropologia Alpina of Turin, theGERSAR of Milly la Foret.

New areas have been discovered, both in France (HauteMaurienne-Aussois area, Haute Ubaye) and in Italy (Val

Italy and France. Some records can be found online, www.europreart.net and www.rupestre.net/archiv.

2 A. Arc , R. Baldi, F. Ballet, A. Biganzoli, A. Cavallera, H. Chatain,M. Cinquetti, O. Cosson, D. Daudry, F. M. Gambari, C. Gavazzi,L. Gibelli, O. Manni Calderini, L. Mano, G. Nelh, P. Raffaelli, P.Ricchiardi, M. Rossi, A. Santacroce, P. Scarzella, D. Seglie, V. Tonini,

F. Tracq, A. Vaudagna. http://www.culturamontana.altervista.org/, research in the Susa valley.

www.cesmap.it, research in the Pinerolo area (Val Chisone, ValGermanasca, Val Pellice), IFRAO member.

Vigezzo, Valsusa-Mompantero, Valcenischia, Valgrana,Cavour and Val Pellice paintings). Already known areashave been more deeply recorded and studied (Valchiusella,Albedosa, Valle Po and Mt. Bracco). A good summary ofthe last researches can be found in the bookImmagini dalla

Preistoria, printed on the occasion of the XXXII Congressof the Italian Institute of pre-history and proto-history in995 (ImmagInI dalla PreIstorIa 995). Regarding theItalian side particularly important was the intervention ofthe Archaeological Superintendence of Piedmont (gambarI998), who funded rupestrian archaeology5 research in

Susa, Po and Albedosa Valleys. These recording campaignswere conducted by the Footsteps of Man ArchaeologicalSociety (Cooperativa Archeologica Le Orme dellUomo,arc-FossatI-marchI-tognonI200), a rock art Institutionspecialised in rock art research and based in Valcamonica.Regarding the French side the main site of Aussois (HauteMaurienne valley) was recorded and studied by the Frenchteam led by F. Ballet and P. Raffaelli (ballet-raFFaellI990).

Adenitionusedtodescribea rockartstudyconductedwithafully

archaeological perspective

The archaeological team is composed of A. Fossati, A, Arc and E.Marchi, www.rupestre.net/orme, IFRAO member.

Mt.Begoareaisnotcoveredinthispaper:pleaserefertothescientic

works of the research team guided by prof. H. De Lumley.

ROCK ART IN THE WESTERN ALPS:RESEARCH, METHODS, DATA AND DISCOVERIES

Andrea ARC

Resum : Les derniers 25 ans du vingtime sicle ont vu un grand dveloppement des connaissances en ce qui concerne lart rupestredes Alpes Occidentales. Les mthodes dtude sont drives de la longue lexprience de travail en Valcamonica. Relev graphique,photographiqueetcompilationdeschiersreprsententlecurdelentierprocessus.EncequiconcerneleNolithiqueilfautremarquerles

peintures rupestres de la Rocca di Cavour et de la Valle du Pellice: elles reprsentent lextrmit orientale de lart schmatique, si bien connuedans la pninsule Ibrique. Pour le Chalcolithique et lge du Bronze le corpus des anthropomorphes schmatiques des Alpes occidentalesest le plus consistent en excluant les ples de Valcamonica et du Bego. Une srie bien particulire des mandres et spirales est rpanduedanslesvallesdeMaurienneetdeSuse.CettesguressontsuperposesaMompanteropardeshachesdelandelgeduFer.Cettes

haches mmes constituent un important corpus. Les peintures de lge du Fer (Mompantero) et les scnes de chasse (Aussois, Lanslevillard)montrent nombreuses points en commun avec lart rupestre de la Valcamonica. En ce qui concerne les cupules, qui sont la gravure la plusrpanduedanslesAlpes,ilyaplusieursdonnesquisupportentunechronologiendelgeduBronze-geduFer.Pourlinterprtationil

faut suggrer de prendre en considration une stricte relation entre lart rupestre, la culture alpine et lutilisation du terroir.

Abstract: A big gain into the knowledge of the western Alps rock art was obtained during the last quarter of the 20th century. Recordingmethods derive from a long experience in the Valcamonica rock art and can be summarised in the tracing - photographing - recordingpattern. Regarding the Neolithic the Rocca di Cavour and the Pellice red paintings must be outlined. They represent the extreme easternpoint of the schematic paintings complex so well-known in the Iberian peninsula. Regarding the Copper Age and the Bronze Age thewesternAlpscorpusofanthropomorphicschematicguresisthelargestoneoutsidethetwomainAlpinerockartpoles.Apeculiarpattern

ofmeandro-spiralicguresisconcentratedalongtheValsusaandMauriennevalleys.ItisoverlappedbysomelateIronAgeaxesinthe

Mompantero site. Axes also constitute a noticeable corpus. Iron Age paintings (Mompantero) and hunting scenes (Aussois, Lanslevillard)show many contact-points with the Iron Age Valcamonica rock art. Many elements support a late Bronze Age-Iron Age chronologicalframe for cup-marked rocks, which represent the most diffused engravings in the Alps. A strict relation with the alpine culture and use ofterritory is suggested as an interpretative key for rock art studies.

Published in:ArcA., 2004. Rock art in the western Alps: research, methods, data and discoveries.In:Actes du XIVme congrs UISPP, Universit de Lige, Belgique, 2-8 septembre 2001. Section 8, Art dupalolithique suprieur et du msolithique,C 8.4, Bilan des arts rupestres en Europe, Oxford, pp. 95-106


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Art du Palolithique suprieur et du Msolithique / Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Art

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METHODS

Recording methods utilised in rock art research in the westernAlps, derived from a long experience in the Valcamonica rockart (FossatI-arc 2000), involve a series of interventionswhich can be quickly summarised in these ten points:

1. nding(performedafterspecicrockartsurveysorasa

consequence of casual discoveries);

2. photographing (phase A, pictures of the rock and sitebefore any intervention);

3. cleaning(clearingtheengravedsurfacetodisclosegures

without applying any invasive substance; this phasedoesnt apply to paintings);

4. tracing (reproducing engraved gures by the contact

transparency method);

5. photographing (phase B, grazing light pictures of thecleaned surface, taking care of general scenes and ofparticulargures);

. reducing (the complete tracing is normally reduced to a:8-: scale);

. digitalising (transforming the tracing into a vector-based

digital drawing8; storing pictures into digital archives);

8 Different phases, if present, are outlined by different colours, preferablyby greyscale tones.

8. recording9(llingspecicsite,rockandguredatabase

entry forms);

9. studying (unveiling different phases, performingcomparisons with other petroglyphs, archaeologicalobjects and inherent iconography);

10.communicating(editingandpublishingscienticpapers,

books, web pages and web sites; performing educational0projects and workshops).

Not all phases are always present, but the tracing-photographing-recording pattern should represent the core ofthe sequence.

On the Italian side tracing is done by the contact method.Transparent plastic sheets are positioned over the engravedsurfacesandeachengravedpeck,notonlyguresoutlines,

is reproduced with a black marker while directly seeingthe engraved surface. Particular attention is given to therecognitionoftheguresandofsuperimpositions. The longtime needed for such a job is also the time to understand more

9 This phase is better performed when the tracing activity is completed.

0 http://rupestre.net/orme/dida, http://www.comune.torino.it/servizi-edu-cativi/rupestre2.

Superimpositionsamongengravedguresare equalto arelativear-chaeological stratigraphy. They are marked over the original tracing byanarticialwhitespacewhichallowstoreadtheminthenalredu-ced tracing.

Figure 1. Sample of vector tracing.


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A. Arc: Rock Art in the Western Alps: Research, Methods, Data and Discoveries

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about the often complex sequence of gures, scenes

and different styles, so opening the door for a deeperchronological and interpretative study. Photographing ispreferablydoneundergrazinglighttobetterenhancegures

and superimpositions. It is possible to work with naturalgrazing light, choosing the best moment in the day (generallyearly morning or late afternoon or utilising mirrors), orarticialnightgrazinglight2.

Recording is done utilising the International Form ofwestern Alps Rock Art (seglIeet al. 99), created by aninternational French-Italian-Swiss board at the end of the80s. It is a rock form, with main sections devoted to location,environment, geomorphology, lithology, engraved surface,engraving techniques, archaeological context, engravingscatalogue, bibliography. Database versions were developed

by various institutions.

Digitalising (arc2000) is accomplished by scanning eachreduced tracing sheet and by transforming the bitmap image(a series of black and white points) into a vector5 drawing(a series of lines with inner direction points). The vector

2 Halogen lamps, preferably with lenses (slide projectors) to allow alarger focal deepness.

CIARAO (International Commission of Western Alps Rock Art 990),with the participation of the Muse Savoisien de Chambery, CentroStudi e Museo dArte Preistorica di Pinerolo, Societ Valdotainede Prhistoire e dArchologie, Soprintendenza Archeologica del

Piemonte and various rock art researchers. From the DOS DBIV to the Microsoft Access .

5 Drawing software like CorelDRAW , Adobe Frehand and relatedauto-trace applications are normally utilised.

drawing is much more customisable (adding of captions, scalereferences, colour layers, exporting in tif-jpg-bmp imageformats) and light in terms of bytes. Recording methodsrepresent a continual work in progress, particularly regarding

the computer and information technology.

PERIODS AND SITES

I will now deal with the most important sites, trying to give ashort overview under a general chronological and stylisticalframe. Western Alps rock art reveals at the same time some

peculiarities (like the meandro-spiralic phase of Susa andMaurienne valleys) and some common patterns and contact-

points with the rock art of the other areas, mainly Mt. Bego(particularly regarding the Copper Age and the ancient

Bronze Age) and Valcamonica (particularly regardingthe Iron Age), so testifying at least a solid web of culturalrelationships if not a common Alpine culture.

Starting from the Neolithic we must focus over the redpaintings of the Rocca di Cavour and the Pellice valley.The Rocca di Cavour paintings (seglIe-rIcchIardI-cInquettI 988, gambarI 992a) were discovered in 99

by F. Zavattaro and attentively studied by the CeSMAP andby F. M. Gambari of the Archeological Superintendenceof Turin, who underlined the close resemblance with theschematic Mediterranean art and proposed a Neolithic-Eneolithic chronological framewhichistestiedbysome

AMS direct-dating experiences, not yet practised over western Alpspaintings,arehighlydesirableandshouldcontributetoconrmor to

deny such a chronological approach.

Figure 2. Cavour (left) and Pellice (I) neolithic paintings(pictures and tracings A. Arc - Le Orme dellUomo - Soprintendenza Archeologica del Piemonte).


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Figure 3. Ubaye (F) Copper Age daggers overlapping neolithic patings (picture and tracing GRCM).


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motifs that occur also in the same period topographicalengravings (Arc 999) and by the comparison with the LesOullas (Ubaye, F) red paintings (muller-Jorda-gassend99), which are superimposed by Copper Age daggers (arc995a). In 99 the rock was recorded and traced byFootstepof Man. A new vector tracing was executed, while for the

photographic side digital enhancements were experienced.

The Pellice valley paintings, protected under a natural rockyshelter, were discovered in 1992 by R. Rivoiro and rst

published by R. Nisbet (nIsbet 99). A recent (A. Arc2000) vector tracing and digital photo enhancing enlightenedrowsofhumangures,upsidedownhumangures,while

the comparison with the grids again conducts to a Neolithic-Eneolithic chronological frame (gambarI et al. 200).These two sites of rock paintings clearly belong to the samegroup in which the Bessans (nelh 980) and the Ubaye(F) paintings must be included. Many common motifs,likerowsofdotting,geometricgures orgrids, schematic

anthropomorphicstickgures,branches-likeguresarequite

recognisable and well present also in the noticeable paintedshelter of Les Eissartnes (hameau 989), in the FrenchProvence, at the other side of the Alps. In this sense the

DigitalPhotoshoplterslikecoloursubstitution,contrastexasperation,multilab channels adjustment.

western Alps rock paintings represent the extreme easternpoint of the schematic paintings complex so well-known inthe Iberian peninsula.

Reaching the Copper Age, beside the already citedUbaye engravings, two mains rocks (the Pera dij Cros inValchiusella and theRoca la Casna in the Mt. Bracco area)show a large concentration of anthropomorphic gures.

Therstwasdiscoveredandrstpublishedin191byR.

Petitti (bovIs-PetIttI 9; rossI-mIcheletta 980), the

second in by A. Cavallera (cavallera 990). Both havebeen traced and digitalised by the Footsteps of Man team.A deeper comparison with the Camunnian anthropomorphicgureshasbeenexamined,givingasresultadoublepossible

chronological attribution (arc-FossatI-marchI 998), therstoneintheCopperAge,bysimilaritywiththetriangular

legs and opened arms stick-body of the IIIA style (casInI99)8, the second one in the recent-nal Bronze Age,

by similarity with the triangular legs and lowered armsstickbodyhumangures (arc 200). Another importantrock is the Valgrana one, discovered in 990 by R. Baldi(baldI 992), where large schematic anthropomorphic

8 AsdenedbyDeMarinis,itcorrespondstothearchaeologicalperiodof Remedello 2, 2800-200 BC, by comparison between the engraveddaggers with triangular blade and half-moon handle and the real onesfound in some burials of the Remedello (BS - I) copper age cemetery.

Figure 4. Pera dij Cros (left) and Valgrana (I) anthropomorphic gures (pictures A. Arc - Le Orme dellUomo).

Figure 5. Mompantero (left I) and Plan des Glires (Maurienne F) meandro-spiralic gures (pictures A. Arc).


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gures were engraved in a dominant position (ImmagInIdalla PreIstorIa 995). Sexual attributes are evident, withfemale breast indicated by two dots on each side of the bustand male sex indicated by a vertical stick between the legs.Such a schematism is common in all the cited cases andwell present also in Valcamonica rock art, testifying a kindofmarker for prehistoricgures.With thePera dij Cros,the Roca la Casna and the Valgrana rock the western Alpscorpusofanthropomorphicschematicguresis thelargest

one outside the two main Alpine rock art poles.

Passing on to the Bronze Age the most important subjectis represented by a class of meandro-spiralic gures

(tonInI 992; gambarI 1994; arc-FossatI 998). Theyare concentrated in the Haute Maurienne (F) and Valsusa (I)

bordering areas. The basic feature is here represented by aseries of lladic calcschists9 (scistes lustres, calcescisti)

9 Metamorphic rocks composed of calcite and silicates.

slabs engraved with the pecking technique. Their siliceouscomponent, not eroded by water, allows a sufcient

conservation for some millennia and their surfaces, polishedby the glaciers during the Ice Age, appear like a series ofnatural blackboards. So they represent the unique supportwhere gurative engravings were executed in the Susa-

Valcenischia and Moriana valleys, acting as a natural archivewhere different layers of human mountain cultures left theirsigns. Meanders and spirals clearly constitute the most ancientlayer,astestiedbythesuperimpositionsandbythedegree

of consumption, which is as high as to prevent in somecasestheircompleteidentication.Theseguresconsistin

meanders and spirals often very intricate, giving sometimestheideaoftheneedtocompletelylltheavailablesurface.

On the Italian side (mainly in the Mompantero area,discovered by the Toninis in the late 80s) they lie in a 00-000 m range of altitude, while on the French side (Aussois,Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard) they are scattered along high

Figure 6. SUS.SPP2 (Mompantero I) rock: axes overlapping meanders(tracing Le Orme dellUomo - Soprintendenza Archeologica del Piemonte).


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mountain sites, from 800 to 200 m. Curiously these signsare quite identical to the engravings of the Isla La Palma(Canary Islands). In both cases a pastoral economy occurs.The dating is quite problematic, here again resulting in adouble hypothetical line, the ancient one being Neolithic andthe recent one being Bronze Age-Iron Age (arcet al. 200).

A terminus ante quem is given by the late Iron Age axes, whichclearly overlap meanders and spirals in the MompanteroSUS-SPP1 rock.A stylistic comparison could nds some

points of contact with the Megalithic period (Knowth and

Boyne valley Irish sites particularly), but some meanderinglines seem connected at the nearby Aussois site to the IronAge maps, probably testifying a not so ancient chronology. InValcamonica, where this subject is rare, beside the presenceof single spirals very faded and overlapped by Bronze Agegures,meanderingpatternsare represented in theBronze

Age (Sonico) and the Iron Age (Zurla) engraved surfaces.The Italian side rocks have been recorded by Footstepsof Man, under the scientic charge of theArchaeological

Superintendence of Piedmont.

Figure 7. Aussois (Maurienne F): bitriangular body warrior (left) and Iron Age topographic gures overlapping a warrior

(pictures A. Arc).

Figure 8. Aussois (Maurienne F): hunting scene with ibexes and dogs (picture A. Arc).


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The Iron Age probably unveiled the most important resultsin the research eld. The main site of Aussois (HauteMaurienne, F) was discovered in the 0s of the last century,studied by the French team led by F. Ballet and P. Raffaelli(Ballet-Raffaelli 99) and recently (July 200) transformedinto an archaeological Park, where panels and woodengangways illustrate the main engraved surfaces. Beside thepresence of raremeander and spiral faded gures,warrior

gures are most commonly represented, sometimes in the

classic bitriangular-body style, which can be compared withthe analogous gures depicted over the geometric-style

derived Italic (Sala Consilina) or French pseudo-ionic (LaPgue) pottery, with a VII-IV cent. BC chronological frame.

The animals represented, like dogsand ibexes, are clearly related with thedepiction of hunting scenes. Weaponslike spears are depicted with a triangular

point, sometimes highly exaggerated indimension. Footprints, axes and two-wheels chariots are also present. Alltheseguresandscenesclearlyrelateto

a male-warrior-hunter culture, which canbe easily compared with the analogousone of Valcamonica Iron Age rock art(late Bronze Age in some cases), wherethe same items are depicted. Anotherimportant subject is constituted by thetopographic engravings, a pattern ofrectanglesandsquareslledwithorderly

arranged series of dots, which can becompared with the Iron Age topographic

phase of Valcamonica rock art (Bedolinaand Le Crus rocks). Curiously in bothcases chronology is testied by the

superimpositions: geometric mapsoverlap rst and middle Iron-Age

warriors.Regardingmorerecentgures

it is possible to outline some middle-age (XIII-XV cent. AD) engravings,depicting warriors and castles, and a longseries of modern and recent engravings,mainly dates, crosses and inscriptions.All the Haute Maurienne Valley is richin engraved rocks, due to the alreadyoutlined presence of the calcschist slabs,well suitable for gurative engravings.

Among the other important sites we must cite Arcelle Neuve,Chantelouve, Rocher du Chateau, Plan des Glires, La Fara,Pisselerand, Vallon de la Rocheure: many of them werestudied by G. Nehl (Nelh 980) and the GERSAR.

In the Italian side the sites of Mompantero (Susa Valley) andValcenischia were discovered and studied. The Mompantero

petroglyphic complex hosts three sites of rock paintings(discoveries Comba 989 and Fossati-Arc 99), whereIron Age warriors, archers and riders, in some cases depictedwith a bitriangular style body, present many contact pointswith the analogous Iron Age subjects of Valcamonica rock

Figure 9. SUS.SPP1 paintings (Mompantero I): bitriangular body warrior withspear, archer and weaponed rider(picture and tracings Le Orme dellUomo -

Soprintendenza Archeologica del Piemonte)

Figure 10. SUS.CHM2 (Mompantero, left): axes with half-moon shaped blade and (right) table of the Mompantero (I)corpus of axe gures (pictures and tracings Le Orme dellUomo - Soprintendenza Archeologica del Piemonte)


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art (Arc-Fossati 998), like in the case of the particularrepresentation of an acrobatic riding. Besides these paintingsa very interesting sequence of engraved axes is present:Mompantero is the only area in the Alps outside theValcamonica with such an Iron Age axes corpus20. Twentyitems can be divided in two main categories, both belongingto the late Iron Age. The half-moon blade shaped axes can beeasily compared with the Ornavasso ones (I cent. BC-I cent.AD),whilethegreaterstraightbladeaxesarewelltestied

in the late IronAge graves.The rst type,with a shorterhandle, can be identied with a one-hand throwing-axe,

20 TwoaxeguresarepresentintheAussois(Maurienne,F)ArchaeologicalPark.

while the second with a two-hand shearing-axe. In two caseswe have the interesting feature of a couple of axes of differentdimensions, like representing a battle-set, possibly pertainingto the Celtic tribe of the Segusii, which was present in thearea under the reign of king Cottius.

The Valcenischia site was discovered in 99 by G. M.Cametti, P. Meirano and myself (arc-camettI-meIrano99), and then recorded and traced by Foosteps of Man(arc-FossatI-marchI-tognonI 200). Casts2 of the three

most important engraved surfaces were executed. Engraved

2 Utilising liquid elastomer for the mould and resins and glass-wool forthenalreproduction.

Figure 11. CEN.CRL2 (Cenischia valley I): square body warrior (left up) compared with a late Iron Age Valcamonica gure(Dos sotto Lajolo, right up); Valcenischia warrior gures (down, pictures and tracings A. Arc - Le Orme dellUomo)


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rocks (again calcschist) are scattered along a high mountainpasture (200-2550 m of altitude) dominated by theRocciamelone top. The main subject is constituted by IronAge square body warriors, holding bows and swords, verysimilar to the Valcamonica ones (late Iron Age - Roman

period) and by gures ofSpadonari (men holding sword).The interesting fact is that in the nearby villages at the bottomof the valley they still today practise a popular feast wherethe sword-dance (men holding swords are called Spadonari)represent a real peculiarity.

Figure 12. Lanslevillard (Moncenis pass area F), the Ibexes rock, roman writing overlapping an Iron Age hunting scene(picture and tracings A. Arc-GRCM-G. Mennella)


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A noticeable rock was discovered in 989 (arc 990) againby the already cited group22, where an ibex hunting scene isrepresented. Once again a strict parallelism can be found withthe analogous Valcamonica Middle Iron Age hunting scenes,with the substitution of the deer with the ibex. Dogs, whichhelp the hunters, are depicted in the exact same way, with acurly tail. On thisRock of the Ibexes a Roman writing has beenexecuted over the hunting scene in the I cent. AD, probablyby a Roman ofcer controlling the payment of the taxes

(quadragesima galliarum) in the Moncenisio pass area (arc-gambarI-mennella2001).Thegraftorepresentsadisgraceagainst Lucius Mettius, who is described as having inconvenienterotic practices with the ibexes (qui amat platinum). It is thehighest Roman inscription found in the Alps.

I will end with some observations about cup-marks, whichrepresent the most diffused engraving in the Alps (gambarI1992b; gambarI 1994-1995). Various cup-marked rocks have

been recorded and traced2, mainly in the Valle Po Valley, in theBessa, in the Albedosa and in the Vigezzo Valley areas. Manycup-marks with inner cylindrical sections are found to have beenengraved with a metallic tool, e.g. at Susa, where cup-marks lieon a rock surface clearly cut with picks, beside the ancient Via

Galliarum. The more cup-marks are deep and with a cylindricalsection, the more a channel network is developed, like in theCro da Lairi cup-marked table. At the Arcelle Neuve (HauteMaurienne F) site cup-marks cut and overlap spirals and othergeometricpeckedgures.Cup-marksareoftenassociatedwith

footprints (Roche aux Pieds de Pisselerand, Albedosa area),which is a typical Iron Age subject. Outside the western Alpsa key-site is theRupe Magna at Grosio (Valtellina), where cupmarks overlap Bronze Age and Iron Age anthropomorphic and

22 GRCM. Mountain Research Culture Group, Turin.

2 Cup-markedrockstracingslightlydiffersformthepeckedgurestrac-

ing: D data are added by measuring the deepness of the cup-marks andby adding inner curve-levels. Regarding educational experiences, someworkshops have been realised with elementary and middle school class-es, where children traced and recorded these engraved rocks. Resultsonline http://www.comune.torino.it/servizi-educativi/rupestre2.

warriorgures(arc 995b). In this way many data concur topropose for the Alpine territory a chronology starting from thelate Bronze Age (cup-marked stone in an archaeological levelat Aussois), with patterns of middle-dimension and not deepcup-marks, and continuing all along the Iron Age (if not alsomore recently), with larger and deeper cylindrical cup-marksand the development of a network of channels.

In conclusion the territory of the western Alps Rock constitutenowadays a fertile area for rock art research for almost all the

periods of prehistoric cultures, under the aspects of what ispresent and of the recording methods. The presence of differentInstitutions and researchers could represents a spur to conductfurthers researches and studies, in the perspective of a continualexchange of ideas and programs. The evident relation amongrock art, natural resources, use of territory and alpine culturescould surely represent an interpretative key to better understand,under its basic common rules, this particular kind of iconographic

phenomenon called, perhaps improperly, rock art.

Authors address

Andrea ARCaa_arca atyahoo.it

Coop. ArcheologicaLe Orme dellUomop.zza Donatori di Sangue 2500 Cerveno (BS I)

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13/14

Actes du XIVme Congrs UISPP, Universit de Lige,

Belgique, 2-8 septembre 2001

Acts of the XIVth UISPP Congress, University of Lige,

Belgium, 2-8 September 2001

SECTION 8

ART DU PALOLITHIQUE SUPRIEURET DU MSOLITHIQUE

UPPER PALAEOLITHIC AND MESOLITHIC ART

C 8.Art rupestre, mtaphysique, idologie.

Iconographie et mythe du Palolithique a lpoque actuelleCoordinateurs / Coordinators: Marcel Otte, Luis Oosterbeek, Dario Seglie,

Laurence Remacle, Valrie Bertollo

C 8.Bilan des arts rupestres en EuropeCoordinateur / Coordinator: Marc Groenen

Sessions gnralesGeneral Sessions

dit par / Edited byLe Secrtariat du Congrs

Prsident de la Section :Marc Groenen

BAR International Series 200


14/14

This title published by

ArchaeopressPublishers of British Archaeological ReportsGordon House276 Banbury RoadOxford OX2 [email protected]

BAR S1311Acts of the XIVth UISPP Congress, University of Liege, Belgium, 2-8 September 2001Section 8:Art du Palolithique Suprieur et du Msolithique/ Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ArtC 8.1: Art rupestre, mtaphysique, idologie. Iconographie et mythe du Palolithique a Ipoque

actuelleC 8.4: Bilan des arh rupestres en Europe

Sessions gnrales et posters/ General Sessions and Posters

the individual authors 2004

Avec la collaboration du Ministere de la Rgion WallonneDirection gnrale de IAmnagement du territoire, du Logement et du PatrimoineSubvention n03/15718Mise en page / Editing : Rebecca MILLER

Marcel OTTE, Secrtaire gnral du XIVeme Congres de IU.I.S.P.P.Universit de Liege

Service de Prhistoire7, place du XX aout, bt. A14000 Liege Belgique

Tl. 0032/4/366.53.41Fax 0032/4/366.55.51Email : [email protected] : http://www.ulg.ac.be/prehist

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