Documentation and Registration of Rock Art

The primary purpose of the reproduction and publication of rock carvings has always been to make this extensive and geographically scattered material accessible to research of different kinds.

Formerly, it used to be possible to study a reproduced motif on location, if more detailed investigation was necessary, or if the accuracy of a reproduction needed to be verified. It is common knowledge that it is very difficult to reproduce a rock carving one hundred per cent correctly, and it is also known that many studies have been based on incorrect depictions.

But recently, a new problem has arisen: The acceleration of weathering. Today we are in such a serious situation that the rock carvings must be documented in order to preserve the pictorial material - as a reproduction. In the future, research as well as the increasing public interest in prehistoric times must seek information from reproductions. It is a lamentable fact that the surfaces of the rocks are in an extraordinarily critical condition, and many of the rock panels documented within the last few years are simply disappearing. A three thousand- year-old picture tradition is about to disappear.  continue: www.rockartscandinavia.com