|
PETROGLYPHS.US
rock art petroglyph and pictograph educational articles |
|||
 The Stahl Site Cave |
|||
The Stahl Site Petroglyphs: |
|||
| By: Donald Austin v6/24/2005 | |||
|
Introduction |
|||
 Figure 1 |
 Figure 2 |
||
| The Coso Representational Style bighorn sheep from Renegade Canyon in Figure 1 is very similar, but not quite identical to the bighorn sheep from the Stahl Site cave in Figure 2. This Stahl Site sheep has a slightly convex back rather than the usual straight to concave back and the rear legs appear more inactive than active. | |||
|
Previous Work |
|||
 Figure 3 |
Harrington (1957) speculates
the rock containing the cave is one very large chunk of basalt that was expelled
from a volcano several miles distant. Since there is little rock or earth above
the cave to contain moisture the cave walls remain dry. The color variation of the canvas is due
to occasional water seepage during winter storms and dust blowing into the cave.
Fortunately the seepage is light and damage to the rock art is minimal. (Figure
3)
Click on Figures for larger photographs |
||
|
Observations The fire blackened panel canvas is not loose powered soot, it is hard discoloration of the stone that contains carbon material that probably can be measured and dated. We do know this site was occupied during Pinto times and was probably used, at least occasionally, up through historic times. It is reasonable to assume post Pinto use included fire in the cave and since wood is not abundant here the use of fire in the cave may have been restricted to food preparation during times when an outside fire was not appropriate. The cave is about twenty feet deep from the drip line. The sides narrow and the ceiling drops as the cave goes back and makes a 70° turn to the left in the last few feet. This is where the petroglyphs are located. A fire towards the front of the cave would allow smoke to exit without filling the cave and would also allow heat to radiate back into the cave for warmth. There is no evidence of smoke blackening on top of the petroglyphs and it may be possible that there has been no fire in the back of the cave since the petroglyphs were made. The rock art was made by light pecking and scratching allowing the classification of ‘petroglyphs’ to this panel. Pecking similar rock (outside of the shelter) produces a powdery white rock residue that looks like thick dried kaolin paint. Painting this blackened rock would produce more contiguous lines, as opposed to the existing dotted lines, which would probably blur on the edges as the paint absorbed into the carbon impregnated stone. Additional testing is needed to verify or rule out the use of any paint on this panel. This determination must be made since Harrington’s report mentioned red pigment elsewhere in the shelter. There are approximately thirty individual petroglyphs in the panel, none are superimposed on others, several are faint to the point of being unidentifiable as to their subject, and all that are identifiable are representational. Among the petroglyphs depicted the following are most easily discernable for additional analysis:
Nine of the bighorn sheep are in three groups of three sheep in a line. Five other single sheep are depicted, two of which are in a proximity suggesting an adult- juvenile relationship. To a large degree all of the sheep have a some what boat shaped body, skinny front legs angled forward and skinny rear legs angled backward that is typical of the Coso Representational Style. Some sheep have lateral extending front view horns and some have parallel sweeping back side view horns, both types of horn depictions are seen in the Coso Representational Style. |
|||
 Figure 4 |
 Figure 5 |
 Figure 6 |
|
| The anthropomorphs in Figure 4 are basic, with minimal attributes to consider them ‘human-like’; straight solid bodies that split to form legs, arms extending out from the body (one appears to be holding a bow & arrow while others may also be holding objects), no hand or feet digits, heads not well defined, but possibly wearing head decorations. These are not typical compared to the elaborate anthropomorphs associated with the Late Period bighorn sheep of the Coso Representational Style. | In the center left of the panel (Figure 5) is an elongated long tailed stick figure of a quadruped with short legs and a long snout and long ears that appears to be menacing a line of three sheep. This subject depiction is not uncommon in Coso Representational petroglyphs. | In the upper right of the petroglyph panel is an unusual quadruped (Figure 6) that has a long forward extending neck and what appear to be two small horns curving forward. Unfortunately, there is a crack in the rock and where the head would normally be. The artist may have simply chosen to extend the neck out further and put the head on the other side of the crack as it is thus accounting for the long neck. The forward curved horns may represent a domestic steer. | |
|
Comments Closer examination of the quadruped with forward curved horns needs to be done to determine if the depiction is as it appears, a modern steer. The presence of modern cattle is a hallmark of the Coso Painted Style and coincides with the Ghost Dance movement of the late 1800's (Garfinkel et al 2005) and would indicate the petroglyphs are historic replications of prehistoric rock art made for the purpose of reverting back to pre European times. Analysis of the carbon deposits inside the shelter needs to be attempted to determine the most recent age detectable. Dating samples of canvas carbon would likely produce a range of dates extending back to Pinto times or earlier. However, the most recent dates collected would indicate the maximum age of the petroglyphs. If the latest date is determined to be approximately 1000 - 700 BP, the date would indicate the petroglyphs were made at the terminus of the Coso Late period and the site is a unique Coso Representational cave. If the latest date is determined to fall between 1800-1900 the cave would be a rare example of Coso Painted Style petroglyphs, which I refer to as Coso Revitalistic Petroglyph Style. Clearly additional laboratory work needs to be done in determining the age of the Stahl Site petroglyphs and more field works needs to be done to discover sites of a similar nature.
|
|||
| Learn More about Rock Art |
Visit
Sand Carved
Designs to see Petroglyph art for your home or office. Opens a new window |
You've seen the photos, now get the Rock
Art CDs Petroglyph CDs Free USA Shipping |
 click image |
|
|
|||