Article submitted by coldrum on 3 Nov 2006.
Vandals defaced an ancient rock art panel near Vernal, Utah, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said October 26th. "They engraved names and dates" across a rock art panel, said Blaine Phillips, a BLM archaeologist. "They pretty well destroyed it."
The panel was one of four examples of the Barrier Canyon-style of rock art found in the Vernal area. Experts believe the rock art dates back several thousand years, though little is known about the early American Indians who created the images. The style includes ghostly-looking human-sized figures with no legs.
"It's not unlike walking into an art gallery and painting your name across a Van Gogh," said State Archaeologist Kevin Jones. "It defaces a piece of our cultural heritage that is irreplaceable."
Phillips said an employee performing a routine check noticed the recent act of vandalism.
Salt Lake Tribune
Utah television website.
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