Indecipherable Signs on the Rock
A Study of ‘Enigmatic’ Engravings and Paintings in the South Caucasus During the Middle and Late Bronze Age
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22240281 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A Cesaretti (0000-0003-1653-6371, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1-24 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Old World Journal of Ancient Africa and Eurasia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2667-0755 • E-ISSN: 2667-0755 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/26670755-00502001 |
| OpenAlex | W4408043825 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
A noteworthy aspect of South Caucasian Protohistoric archaeology is the presence of limited archaeological evidence concerning a series of engraved and painted signs associated with funerary contexts. These signs cannot be categorized strictly as decorations nor as true forms of proto writing. Given the paucity of research on this topic, this paper compiles the primary evidence of engravings and paintings from the Middle and Late Bronze Age periods, for which the term ‘enigmatic’ is proposed due to the current inability to provide definitive interpretations. It is suggested that these engravings and paintings may have functioned as communication systems, potentially prefiguring the writing forms of subsequent periods
Mining engineering · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Geology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |