Painting the Past: Interpretive Approaches in Global Rock Art Research

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Painting the Past: Interpretive Approaches in Global Rock Art Research" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Rock art research transitioned beyond descriptive–typological studies four decades ago, initially using ethnographic analyses followed by the addition of neuropsychological models and subsequently with a wide variety of approaches, the circumstance today. Current interpretive studies range from traditional but intensive iconographic research through quantitative analyses to landscape studies to collaborations with Indigenous peoples. Concern with the metaphysical beliefs—epistemology and ontology—of the creators of rock art underlies many of these studies, reflecting the continuing influence of the initial ethnographic turn in rock art. Papers in this session highlight the diverse approaches to current global rock art research, in the process illustrating the interpretive advances that have been made in our understanding of this aspect of the archaeological record.