Dating and analysis of British prehistoric rock art: the Kilmartin Valley project

英国史前岩石艺术的年代测定和分析：基尔马丁山谷项目。项目简介：英国北部和爱尔兰的史前岩石艺术是一个谜。雕刻在岩石上的图像通常是抽象的（所谓的“杯形和环形标记”），这些图像的时间日期仍然未知。学者们一直在争论它们的年代，假设它们起源于新石器时代或青铜时代。在苏格兰阿盖尔的基尔马丁地区，一个实地项目开始研究不列颠群岛最丰富的岩石艺术景观的年代问题。从2004年到2007年，在Torbhlaren的两个岩石艺术遗址周围的挖掘揭示了与其中一个遗址相关的几个阶段的活动，以及与另一个遗址相关的史前采石的潜在证据。在其中一个遗址周围的石砌平台上，以及在两个遗址的岩石裂缝中，出土了大量的石器工具。就生产这种材料而言，这些地点在不列颠群岛上是独一无二的。因此，这些遗址具有国家和国际意义，因为它们帮助我们了解与史前岩石艺术相关的各种活动，而挖掘的木炭样本有可能提供放射性碳定年。这将是第一批从英国史前岩石艺术遗址获得的放射性碳年代。记录岩石艺术：苏格兰古代和历史遗迹皇家委员会（RCAHMS）只部分记录了遗址中的岩石艺术图案，在实地项目中发现了其他图案。岩石上的图案使用一种创新技术重新记录，作为现场项目的一部分，该技术允许在计算机辅助设计（CAD）软件包中对其进行操作。考虑到挖掘材料的重要性，对岩石艺术的准确记录必须与挖掘的特征相联系。建议研究：挖掘工作已于2007年完成，建议项目的目的是分析挖掘中回收的材料，整理结果并公布遗址。需要进行的主要分析有：1。在其区域景观背景下对遗址的出版和分析。2. 木炭分析和放射性碳定年。3. 石制工具分析，确定从岩画遗址中出土的工具的功能和用途，以及它们与岩画生产的关系。4. 重建场地的环境背景，因为场地坐落在河谷中，确定它们与史前当地河流的关系非常重要；还要确定雕刻艺术品的岩石露头在该地区是否不同寻常；并将与这些地点相关的掩埋土壤与该地区的花粉记录联系起来。5. 制作岩石艺术的视觉记录及其与出土特征的关系，以补充书面记录。要做到这一点，必须将遗址记录与岩石艺术图案的CAD图像相协调，以产生完整而准确的遗址视觉记录。

Dating and Analysis of British prehistoric rock art: the Kilmartin Valley project.Summary of projectIntroduction: The prehistoric rock art of northern Britain and Ireland is enigmatic. Images carved on rock are generally abstract in nature (so-called 'cup and ring marks'), and the chronological date of these images remains unknown. Scholars have debated their date, assuming either origins in the Neolithic or Bronze Age. A field project, based in the Kilmartin region, Argyll, Scotland set out to examine the issue of dating in the richest rock art landscape in the British Isles. Excavations around two rock art sites at Torbhlaren from 2004-2007 revealed several phases of activity associated with one of the sites, and potential evidence for prehistoric quarrying associated with the other site. An extensive assemblage of stone tools was excavated, both on the stone built platform surrounding one of the sites, and deposited in the rock fissures at both sites. The sites are unique in terms of the British Isles in producing this kind of material. The sites are therefore of national and international significance as they help us to understand the kinds of activity associated with prehistoric rock art, while excavated charcoal samples have the potential to provide radiocarbon dates. These would be among the first radiocarbon dates to be obtained from a British prehistoric rock art site. Recording rock art: The rock art motifs at the sites were only partially recorded by the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historic Monuments Scotland (RCAHMS), and additional motifs were discovered during the field project. The motifs on the rock were re-recorded as part of the field project using an innovative technique, which allows them to be manipulated in a Computer Aided Design (CAD) package. Given the significance of the excavated material it is imperative that an accurate record of the rock art is related to the excavated features. Proposed research: Excavations were completed in 2007 and the aim of the proposed project is to analyse the materials recovered from excavation, collate the results and publish the sites. The main analyses which need to be conducted are: 1. The publication and analysis of the sites in their regional landscape contexts. 2. Charcoal analysis and radiocarbon dating. 3. Stone tool analysis, to determine the function and purpose of the tools excavated from the rock art sites and their relationship to rock art production. 4. Reconstruction of the environmental context of the site, as the sites sit in a river valley it is important to determine their relationship to the local river, the River Add, in prehistory; also to determine whether the rock outcrops on which the art is carved are unusual for the region; and to relate buried soil associated with the sites to the pollen record for the region. 5. To produce a visual record of the rock art and its relationship to excavated features to compliment the written record. This is to be achieved by harmonising site records with the CAD images of rock art motifs to produce a full and accurate visual record of the sites.