Rock Art at Little Lake

by Van Tilburg, Jo Anne; Hull, Gordon E.; Bretney, John C.

• ISBN13: 9781931745932
• ISBN10: 1931745935
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-12-30
• Publisher: Cotsen Inst of Archaeology

Summary

Rock Art at Little Lake presents the UCLA Rock Art Archive team's examination of the petroglyphs and pictographs at Little Lake Rose Valley, California through field recording, the digital capture of rock art imagery; the analysis of that imagery; conclusions from this analysis; and presentation of the surrounding environment and historical context. This book represents the culmination of ten years of seasonal field forays in the area and aims to promote a connective web of associations that will break down existing barriers between rock art and the rest of archaeology. Section one, "Vistas," establishes a sense of place for the reader, while the "Visionaries" section that follows delves into the heart of the research. Through the use of reconnaissance and intensive survey techniques, museum studies, formal and stylistic analysis, salvage ethnography, and a research paradigm centered on the landscape, the Little Lake research team demonstrates how to build a framework for analysis that thoroughly establishes the intricacies of cultural and material context. The contributions in this volume carefully examine the discrete technical and symbolic aspects of Little Lake Ranch rock art: chronology, scratched pattern distribution, the desert bighorn sheep and atlatl motifs, and painted rock art. The third section of the volume, "Vernacular," includes vivid sketches of the area's local history and the circumstances leading to the high quality of rock art preservation. In addition, a discussion of the material culture, such as the production and use of pottery and basketry, enhances the understanding of the context in which the rock art was envisioned. Finally, an informative summary of the UCLA Rock Art Archive's field, lab, and archival methods are provided, along with a field guide of rock art motifs chosen to give the reader a sampling of the individual elements considered within this study.