Ute Petroglyphs from Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Image by Michael Thompson © iStockphoto.com.
Petroglyphs: Montezuma Castle, Arizona |
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These are Native American petroglyphs carved into sandstone at Montezuma Castle National Monument in Arizona, USA. No date of creation or attribution is available. (Image by Richard Paul © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Bella Coola, British Columbia |
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These petroglyphs were photographed near Bella Coola, British Columbia. They are believed to have been made by the Native American Nuxalk people. Many of them are thought to have been made between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. Most petroglyphs are carved on vertical surfaces however many of the Bell Coola petroglyphs were carved on flat rock outcrops. (Image by Wolfgang Zintl © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Bishop, California |
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Native American petroglyph photographed near Bishop, California. (Image by Philip Robertson © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Norte Chico, Chile |
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This is a photo of a petroglyph from the Valle de Encanto archeological monument in the Norte Chico region of Chile. (Image by Steve Geer © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Hawaii |
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This is a photo of some unattributed petroglyphs of human-like figures carved into basalt on the island of Hawaii, USA. (Image by Craig Smith © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Ladakh, India |
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Rocks with a Buddhist prayer inscription. Ladakh, India, Himalays. There are many rock carvings through out this area, some of which have been dated to Neolithic times. (Image by Vladimir Melnik © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Copper Canyon, Mexico |
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Petroglyphs of the Copper Canyon, Mexico area. (Image by Alan Tobey © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Twyfelfontein, Namibia |
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Petroglyphs of animals at a site near Twyfelfontein, Namibia. They are thought to have been made by local tribespeople and no date of their creation is available. (Image by Liz Leyden © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Lousetown Site, Nevada |
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Petroglyph from the Lousetown Site, Nevada. (Image by Steven Braun © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: New Mexico |
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Petroglyph National Monument is a location where there are an estimated 25,000 petroglyphs, mostly scattered across the landscape on large boulders. Experts estimate that about 90% of them were created by ancestors of today's Pueblo people between about 1300 and 1680 AD. (Image by Jerry McElroy © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Alta, Norway |
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These petroglyphs were photographed at a World Heritage site near the town of Alta in northern Norway. They are carved into the rock and filled with red ochre paint. The earliest petroglyphs at this site date back to about 4200 BC and the more recent to about 500 BC. At the time these petroglyphs were produced northern Norway was occupied by a culture of hunter-gatherers.
The first petroglyph at this site was not discovered until 1972 because they were overgrown by moss and lichens. Since then over 5000 petroglyphs have been discovered in this area and the plants obscuring them have been carefully removed. Researchers believe that the carvings were made with quartzite chisels and a red ochre paint added to enhance their appearance. Recent restoration work has added the red paint onto only those carvings that are used for public display. The images trace the introduction of tools into the local culture and depict daily activities. (Image by Tessa van Riemsdijk © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Provincial Park, Ontario |
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Petroglyphs on a rock surface in Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. (Image by Daniel Norman © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Kola Peninsula, Russia |
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Petroglyphs on an ancient boulder found on the Kola Peninsula of Russia. (Image by Andrey Stenkin © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Teruel, Spain |
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Petroglyph of a warrior on horseback photographed near Teruel Spain. It is believed to have been created between the 4th and 2nd century BC. (Image by asterix0597 © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Tanumshede, Sweden |
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This is a Nordic Bronze Age petroglyph that is carved into the Vitlyckehäll stone near Tanumshede, in Västra Götaland County, western Sweden. The Vitlyckehäll stone is the largest surface which contains these carvings which was discovered in 1972 by a construction project crew. This area has about 3000 petroglyphs and has been designated as a United Nations World Heritage site. As with the Alta, Norway petroglyphs described above the red ochre paint has been added to restore what is believed to be the original appearance. (Image by Matt Trommer © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Arches National Park, Utah |
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Ute Petroglyphs photographed near Wolf Ranch, Arches National Park in Utah, USA. They are thought to have been created between 1650 and 1850. (Image by Michael Thompson © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Newspaper Rock, Utah |
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Petroglyphs photographed at Newspaper Rock State Park near Monticello, Utah, USA. These were produced by scraping away a thin desert varnish to reveal the bright sandstone below. Most of the images here are thought to have been created by Native Americans in prehistoric and historic time. The images were created over a wide range of time because the younger ones display a bright sandstone with almost no desert varnish, while the older ones have a distinct repatination. This single rock has one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs and hence has been given the name "Newspaper Rock". (Image by Geir-Olav Lyngfjell © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Capitol Reef, Utah |
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This wall of petroglyphs is located in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. They are thought to have been created by people of the Freemont Culture who lived in this area between 700 and 1300 AD. (Image by Scott Nelson © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Nine Mile Canyon, Utah |
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These petroglyphs are thought to have been carved by the Freemont people in what is now Nine Mile Canyon, near Price, Utah, USA. Featured are hunters with bows and arrows, and big horn sheep. (Image by David Crowther © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Reef Bay, Virgin Islands |
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These petroglyphs were photographed in at Reef Bay, Virgin Islands. They are thought to have been carved by the Taino people who were all but driven to extinction when the Spanish arrived in the 1600's. (Image by Susanna Pershern © iStockphoto.com.)
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Petroglyphs: Vantage, Washington |
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Petroglyphs of sheep photographed at Gingko State Park, near Vantage, Washington. (Image by 63alfred © iStockphoto.com.)
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Contributor: Hobart King
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