I attended The
Footsteps of Man rupestrian archaeology field school, held in Valtellina and
Valcamonica, Italy, during July and August of 1996. The main purpose of the
field school is the recording of petroglyphs, more commonly known as rock
art, in these areas of glacial valleys in northern Italy. These pecked
engravings range from neolithic to medieval, although the vast majority come
from between the Bronze and Iron ages, records of a people known as the Camunni.
The Valtellina
Rock Art we worked on consisted mostly of already discovered, but
unrecorded, engravings in the vicinity of Grosio. Here we were working halfway
up the slopes of a deep valley in soaring mountains with some wonderful views.
The petroglyphs included warriors, praying figures, animals, and ubiquitous cup
marks and channels.
The Valcamonica
petroglyphs we recorded included some new discoveries. Here, working in the
woods near Paspardo, we spent days cleaning moss and lichens off of one large
rock to find and record various revealed figures. As well as the types found in
Valtellina there are also engravings of maps, houses, ploughing scenes,
footprints, and the famous Camunni Rose to be found in Valcamonica.
