Archaeoastronomy, Beliefs, and Violence: Documentation, Methodology, and Visualization of Rock Art Panels from CANM, Colorado (USA)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From the Plains to the Plateau: Papers in Honor of James D. Keyser" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper focuses on the presentation of selected examples of Ancestral Pueblo and historic Ute rock art panels located in the Sand Canyon and Sandstone Canyon areas within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM), southwestern Colorado, USA, and raises some methodological questions. Some of the panels depict fighting and hunting scenes while others might have been connected with astronomical observations as seasonal, solar, or lunar markers and the possible ceremonies and rituals associated with them. At three of these sites, and from 2018 to 2020, direct field observations were conducted during the summer and winter solstices and spring/fall equinoxes as well as in the periods between them. These observations yielded some interesting results and were supplemented by research in ethnographic literature as well as simulations and visualizations using different software. The methodology for recording of rock art panels included on-site hand drawing, but mostly photography, photogrammetry, and laser scanning documentation. The registered data has been used to generate accurate 2D documentation and 3D models as well as RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) analysis. Hopi representatives were also consulted in the field regarding some of these rock art panels, offering invaluable help and interpretations based on their oral traditions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• From the Plains to the Plateau: Papers in Honor of James D. Keyser

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33318