<< Other Photo Pages >> Petit Jean State Park - Rock Art in United States in The South
Submitted by AKFisher on Friday, 11 August 2023 Page Views: 337
Rock ArtSite Name: Petit Jean State ParkCountry: United States
NOTE: This site is 24.826 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: The South Type: Rock Art
Nearest Town: Winrock, AR
Latitude: 35.124850N Longitude: 92.9235W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Rock Art in The South
Petit Jean State Park is the oldest state park in Arkansas. It is located in the central northern part of the state, in western Conway County, atop Petit Jean Mountain, a ridge between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. One of the features the park is noted for is prehistoric rock art, some of which is accessible to park visitors via its hiking trails. A total of twelve such sites have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their importance.[1] Most of the rock art has been dated to about 1500 CE, and is not obviously associated with habitation sites or other sites bearing evidence of other Native American activities.
Rockhouse Cave
Rockhouse Cave is the largest documented site in the park. It is accessible via the Rock House Cave Trail off Arkansas Highway 154. The cave, actually just a partially covered rock shelter, has faint pictographs on the ceiling near the rear of the shelter.[2] The images are similar to those found at other sites in the park, and include an anthropomorphic figure.[3]
Indian Cave
This site has the largest number figures in the park after Rockhouse Cave. Also a rock shelter, the paintings found here are typical of the distinctive style now designated the "Petit Jean style".[4]
Grotto
The Grotto is located on the Seven Hollows Trail, south of Highway 154.[2] The site includes an anthropomorphic figure and one that appears to be a quadruped of some sort.[5]
Hardison Shelter
The Hardison Shelter site contains an unusually large number of sun motif depictions. This symbol, either circular or spiraled, is a common feature found in many Arkansas rock art sites, and is typically associated with the Mississippian culture.[6]
Other sites
The Seven Hollows/Petit Jean Mountain Site #1 (designated by the Smithsonian trinomial 3CN168) consists of three pictographs that have experienced only minimal weathering.[7] Petit Jean #4 (3CH125) is a pictograph depicting a beaver.[8] Petit Jean #5 (3CN126) is a highly abstract pictograph where it is unclear exactly what it represents.[9] Petit Jean #6 (3CN127) has rayed pictographs that are stylistically similar to those found in the Pictograph Cave in Stone County, a connection that is not well understood.[10]
Petit Jean #7 (3CN128) is a pictograph with a round or oval shape, surrounded by dots. It is similar to other pictographs in the park, and may be a variant of a sun motif.[11] Petit Jean #9 (3CN130) is under a rock overhang, and has a spiral motif that is common across the eastern United States.[12] Petit Jean #10 (3CN131) is a series of painted concentric circles.[13] Petit Jean #11 (3CN132) has an elongated sunburst pattern, and a pattern of wavy lines.[14]
References
1. National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Park Trails Map (PDF). Petit Jean State Park. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
3. Summary description of Rockhouse Cave, Petit Jean #2. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
4. Summary description of Indian Cave, Petit Jean #1. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
5. Summary description of Grotto, Petit Jean #8. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
6. Summary description of Hardison Shelter Site. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
7. Summary description of Seven Hollows/Petit Jean Mountain Site #1. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
8. Summary description of Petit Jean #4. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
9. Summary description of Petit Jean #5. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
10. Summary description of Petit Jean #6. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
11. Summary description of Petit Jean #7. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
12. Summary description of Petit Jean #9. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
13. Summary description of Petit Jean #10. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
14. Summary description of Petit Jean #11. Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
Further reading and information:
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeological_sites_in_Petit_Jean_State_Park
Arkansas State Parks
https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/petit-jean-state-parks-archeological-treasures
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-historic-preservation-program
Directions
From Winrock, AR via GW Adkinson Dr and Red Bluff Dr., 2.9 mi.
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