Dr Alison Sheridan. Rock art studies in Scotland: looking back, looking forward

Описание: Scotland's Rock Art Project Conference Keynote Talk.
Dr Alison Sheridan, National Museums of Scotland. Rock art studies in Scotland: looking back, looking forward

Scotland’s Rock Art Project has revolutionised our understanding of the distribution and nature of rock art in Scotland, and it continues a tradition of rock art research in Scotland that extends back over at least 150 years, in one form or another. The existence of a broader, Atlantic rock art tradition extending from Scotland to Iberia has been acknowledged since at least the mid-20th century, and the character and connectivity of this tradition has recently been illuminated by Joana Valdez-Tullett’s research. Yet key questions remain: What was rock art for? What does it mean? How was it used? When was it created? This lecture looks back through the history of rock art research in Scotland (and elsewhere) to see what clues already exist, and suggests ways in which we might get closer to some answers.