Overview of the Paleolithic Artwork in the San Rafael

Overview of the Paleolithic Artwork in the San Rafael Swell Region and Central Utah, Bailey 2015

Introduction:

In 2011, rock art research within North America was caught off guard with the introduction of a

panel of megafaunal petroglyphs into archaeological literature (Malotki, Wallace: 2011). The site,

discovered by artist and academic Joe Pachak, consisted of several extinct Pleistocene mammals with

undeniable diagnostic features and indicators of great antiquity. Those who dissented to this theory

suggested that its uniquity was an indicator of misinterpretation (Schaafsma: 2013).

It became evident that a corpus of Paleolithic artwork likely existed throughout the canyon

country but, without the depiction of extinct species, would be classified under Archaic traditions and

dismissed.

In current academia, the assumption that the presence or commonality of a particular species

would predict the volume of its rock art counterpart is an illogical and historically falsified claim.

Because of this, the mammoth panel in southern Utah is indeed unique but not isolated in the way that

it was assumed. The mammoth panel belongs to a spectrum of Paleolithic styles that existed within

Utah and elsewhere in the United States.

For example: deer, wapiti, and pronghorn were all common species during Archaic and

Formative periods within Utah. Bighorn sheep, however, are the most commonly depicted. Pronghorn

depictions are especially lacking. Other animals known to exist were virtually never depicted.

In a simulated model, researchers suggest that bighorn populations did not vary significantly

from their current capacity within canyon country (Garfinkel, Young, Yohe II: 2010). This suggests that

zoomorphic figures do not always relate to prehistorical events or even their prevalence as a species.

Instead, it is suggested that animals often took on larger roles as icons and cultural metaphors. Bighorn

sheep, for example, appear to be related to resource depression in many rock art traditions (Garfinkel,

Young, Yohe II: 2010).

With this in mind, Paleolithic artworks may contain extant species in much greater quantities


than extinct species and thus can't be used as a requirement for Paleolithic artwork. Instead, due to the

lack of reliable dating methods of rock art, temporal layering should be used to determine rough

estimates on its chronological placement.

Following the Paleo:

The Bluff mammoth panel, as it's now known, exists in a layer of sandstone which is noted to

have contained reliable spring water during the Paleolithic period (Davis: 1994). Access to water and

ease of travel are key stones to, not only the discovery of Paleolithic art, but the dating of it.

As these logical migration routes were utilized for thousands of years, the build up of rock art

imagery is profound. By using these chronological maps, we may look at images from five or six

different periods of rock art depiction on one surface and utilize the build up of patination as an

indicator for the rough age of the basal layer of petroglyphs.

To my surprise, major corridors often contained a completely repatinated basal layer that always

existed below Archaic period images. In one example, this basal layer existed below a known tradition

of early Archaic artwork. Stylistic similarities and likeness in patination in all examples suggested that

they were a part of one or two styles that existed within the same period.

The Variations:

Two variations were noted in basal layer artworks. One seemed to be a precursor, or transitional

period into, Western Archaic Tradition artwork. Images of this stylistic type were found in Archaic

layers as well as layers far below them. They consist almost entirely of bird tracks or simple curvilinear

features. Images of this type were either solidly pecked or incised. As mentioned, this tradition of

artwork seemed to continue into Archaic periods but previously existed in the Paleolithic period.

The other tradition consisted almost entirely of gridded bighorn sheep similar but not akin to

Glen Canyon Linear 5 zoomorphs (Turner: 1971). These sheep are never depicted with other figurative

images and exist far below the Archaic layer. In all cases these sheep had been completely repatinated.


Incised bird tracks found with this type may suggest a strong unity to the first typification and

may suggest that this is a minor stylistic variation.

Abstract Style: The first example of Paleolithic art typified above will be discussed in this paper

as “Abstract Style” for clarity.

The most significant site of this type is found within the San Rafael Swell region. It contains

three distinct layers of petroglyph imagery on the same rock face. These layers consist of Transitional

Basketmaker (Bailey: 2014), Early Archaic, and Paleolithic Abstract artworks. The Early Archaic

images are carved directly over the Paleolithic images with significant patination variation and thus

provide a good estimate for its age.

Linear Style: The second example of Paleolithic art typified above will be discussed in this

Left: Early Abstract Archaic dot pattern overlaid on Paleolithic image. Right: Transitional Basketmaker image on same

face.


Possible Paleolithic grid with Archaic images overlaid.

Abstract Paleolithic images.


paper as “Linear Style” for clarity. These images have been personally photographed within both

Emery and Grand Counties typically on high sandstone cliffs with gridding that may suggest a

correlation to the Bluff mammoth.

It is noteworthy that gridding is common in both styles, providing further authenticity to the

Bluff Mammoths.

Above: Paleolithic bighorn sheep images. Below: Incised bird tracks to the left of the sheep images above.


Bibliography

– Bailey, Jonathan

2014. Transitions in Barrier Canyon Style as a Stylistic and Iconographic Tradition

- Davis, William

1994. The First Americans in San Juan County, Blue Mountain Shadows: The Magazine of San

Juan County History, Volume 13 pp. 4-6

- Garfinkel, Alan; Young, David; Yohe II, Robert

2010. Journal of Archaeological Science 37 pp. 42–51

- Malotki, Ekkehart; Wallace, Henry D.

2011. Columbian Mammoth Petroglyphs From the San Juan River Near Bluff, Utah, United

States, Rock Art Research 2011 - Volume 28, Number 2, pp. 143-152

- Schaafsma, Polly

2013. Lines of Confusion: The Bluff "Mammoths", IFRAO 2013 Proceedings, American Indian

Rock Art 40, pp. 173-188

- Turner, Christy

1971. Petrographs of the Glen Canyon Region, Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin 38, Glen

Canyon Series Number 4

Overview of the Paleolithic Artwork in the San Rafael

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