Rock art dating in Australia and beyond: What does it tell us?

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges in rock art research is accurate and reliable dating. A related issue is that of interpretation -what do the numbers obtained really mean? In this paper we briefly review the results of rock art dating programs in Australia with those undertaken in other parts of the world. We identify a number of common problems arising from the results as well as patterning related to taphonomy and cultural difference. We also observe some common trends, both in terms of temporal and spatial rock art change and in terms of how dating results are (mis)interpreted. We conclude that rock art dating is still in its infancy so that we should be very cautious about results, how they are interpreted and how they are used to support theoretical models. A particular question that focuses discussion is whether there is a case for Pleistocene figurative art outside Europe and, if not, why it developed to such a great extent elsewhere during the Holocene.