Is It Possible To Decipher Prehistoric Rock Art?

Is it possible for us to understand the meaning behind prehistoric rock art? In this video, ancient historian Tristan explores Stone Age rock carvings in Scotland with leading experts, to try and answer that question. Why were spiral designs so important and do they show a connection between people living as far apart as Orkney and Portugal? And how was prehistoric rock art actually made?

With expert insight from Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark and Dr Joana Valdez-Tullet, Tristan learns about the latest theories on prehistoric rock carving and cave paintings. He sees an impressive Stone Age design using cup and ring motifs in Scotland's mysterious Kilmartin Glen. And finally, Tristan has a go at creating some rock art himself.

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#historyhit #stoneage #prehistoric

[merlinlucas]

I live in New Mexico, in the U.S.A. Spirals are found all over here in the deserts and mountains. They are sometimes pecked into rock or painted in cave walls and ceilings.

[newmexicojoe]

Here in the southwest U.S., I have hiked over hundreds of thousands of acres of ranchlands over two decades to notice a pattern in the spirals. I have seen a great number of them having only two to five wraps, and would find a small amount of physical evidence of occupation. The more spirals, the more evidence. Usually along with the spirals would be images of goats or deer, wavy lines indicating water, even buffalo. It would seem logical then, that since the people were nomadic, the lines were left as records. Each complete revolution indicating the season spent there, or a complete cycle of year.
Areas with only two or three wraps would have little in flint knappings and little else to show as evidence of habitation. While spirals with ten and more would have evidence scattered over a much larger area, and contain mono's and matate' (grinding stones), many more petroglyphs, worked points, and often extra construction using rock.
In short then, the spirals indicated the abundance of the area found, and it's ability to provide resources.

[South]

If you visit Newgrange, you walk across the bridge over the River Boyne at Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Look down into the river. You will see spirals in the water just like on the wall of the tomb.

[cerealport]

I'm pretty sure Aboriginals from central or northern Australia have used, and do use spiral rock art to indicate water sources nearby.

[jasoncornell]

Once photographed a local barrow entrance at night (kits coty house in Kent) it was covered in spirals like those that weren't visible to the naked eye

[catebligh]

I saw a map and compass. There’s so much information there, the direction you need to go, how many days walk to the next marker/settlement, nearby points of interest. Of course, that’s just in my mind and based on nothing 😆 Fascinating stuff! Love hearing all the theories.

[TightSkin]

They were partying!
- Put your hands up in the air..put your hand up... in the

[jackblackpowderprepper]

I live in Central Washington and am doing some amateur archeology on spirals, Effigies, stone totems and megaliths here. I have many short videos of them on my channel. One thing I noticed in your video is the spirals in my area run in the opposite direction.

[tanyafarris]

I'm from PNW and started My collection rock hounding couple years back .
I'm amazed what you can find .so many tools, rock art, effegys!
Your pieces are amazing .
Thank you for sharing .

[derekh]

Nobody will ever know what the rock art means. Only the artists who made them know the exact meaning

[finnishculturalchannel]

In Finland and surrounding region there are these spirals called 'Giants' Gardens', (video: "Ylikorvenkankaan jatulintarha, Miehikkälä", usually near water or ancient water areas. They are thought to be there for a rite to secure safe voyage for a person on water or by land. Spiral as a symbol would therefor be a good luck symbol for a journey or otherwise. Perhaps a road sign, but more likely a spiritual symbol on a gravestone or some other religious place; a religious symbol the same way as E.g. cross is in Christianity. Sometimes there are cup stones along side with the spiral symbols, which would support the religious theory. Holy Grail being a form of cup stone also.

[yarlkymcfirblatherington]

Simple cup marks are possibly celestial maps. They are made in a variety of sizes denoting the luminosity of each star. Some groups of cup marks clearly represent well known constellations, as can be seen clearly at Clava Cairns near Inverness.

[Naughts.and.Crosses]

Dear Doodleologists, It's a navigation and timing system, DAH, with rock spiral having permanent information overlayed with charcoal dynamic information.

[elleneilbracht]

Spirals are also found in Costa Rica in Central America,

[yensid]

I have heard/read that spirals could be symbolic representations for water (holes) & that circles with a dot in the center may have represented the sun. I guess if certain larger rock art areas were a kind of abstract map of either the landscape or the night sky it would be difficult to determine after so much time. But it's an interesting idea.

[luckyjames]

The ancient circles are simply to inform wanderers or anybody that within that distance that human lived around. If it's one, depending on size, it shows that it maybe a small group, if the circles were scattered, it means that there are numbers of settlement as stated on the rock face. These people doesn't have alphabets, they speak in signs and signals.

[lifeschool]

I think many of the comments here are in the right area. As the circles were made outside on rocks, mostly pointing up towards the sky, I would say the ancients figured out we all come from the Sun (or God, the womb etc), and that we all leave the sun and return by the same way upon death. The spiral may be perhaps the path of life itself, or perhaps just an image of the Sun, like the South American cultures drew something that looked like a swastika. As this was made throughout Europe, I'd say this was some kind of Celtic Pagan shamanic trance ritual carving.

[DownhillAllTheWay]

Somebody's going to find that rock in 20 years time and think "Look at this! I believe it's 200, 000 years old!"

[archangel_one]

I've translated it:
You spin me right 'round, baby
Right 'round like a record, baby
Right 'round, 'round, 'round
You spin me right 'round, baby
Right 'round like a record, baby

Whatever could it mean?😉

[bruceonlygoodvibes]

from what I've learned in this video there is no deciphering possible