Paintedand engraved marks and images on rock surfaces represent the oldest and mostwidespread form of human expression. Found globally in its originallandscapes, with some images dating back fifty thousand years or more, theworld's rock art constitutes the most important body of latent knowledgeabout our deep past. Today, however, mass tourism, vandalism, theft, landdevelopment, and climate change are posing increasingly dire threats to thisirreplaceable heritage.This richly illustrated volume,the ninth to appear in the Getty Conservation Institute's award-winningReadings in Conservation series, is the first interdisciplinary anthology tofocus on the conservation and management of rock art sites. Its 133 readings surveythe arc of published writings on the subject, ranging from early academictheories and oral narratives of Traditional peoples to an abundant selectionof recent scholarship covering current best practices and advances inportable instrumentation that can be used in the field. The book is dividedinto nine parts. Initial sections probe the origins and significance of theseoften-enigmatic forms, then survey scientific and technological methods ofdating, monitoring, and documenting them. Subsequent readings discuss rockart's physical characteristics and weathering, its importance to Indigenouscommunities, the decolonization of site management, the role of governments,the value of public outreach, and climate change. The volume closes with a selectionof case studies drawn from major sites worldwide.
