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Even though this rock art is found in Hieroglyphic Canyon, they are not hieroglyphic writing, they are actually called petroglyphs (literally "rock writing") or pictographs. Pictographs are usually dated to the time when other physical remains, i.e. pottery, implements etc., are found in the area. A variety of rocks are used as a substrate, but they all have certain things in common, the surviving pictographs are in protected or semi-protected areas of the rock. That is, they are in niches or on slabs that are protected from the elements either through overhangs or orientation. The pictographs are made by scratching through the darker weathered coating of the rock to show the lighter underlying areas. During some of my future posts, I will show a large variety of pictographs from areas throughout the American Southwest.
The dark coating on the rocks comes from a fairly simple chemical reaction, manganese an element, becomes manganese oxide. There are several fomulations of manganese oxide, however the most basic is MnO, a simple combination with oxygen. Manganese in its pure form, is a light grey to white powder that resembles iron. It is used with iron and other elements, to make steel. It is sometimes found dissolved in water as a trace element. In the dessert areas of the world, over time, these traces of manganese are deposited on the surface of the rocks and is sometimes called desert varnish. From personal experience, we have used manganese as a trace element for fertilization of palm trees and if any of the water with manganese gets on any surface, it will permanently stain the surface.
Unfortunately, most archaeologists (at least in the U.S.) have a tendency to see either mysticism or religion in everything associated with ancient cultures. Although some of the symbols used do have religious connotations, it is impossible to attribute a religious significance to them without imposing cultural norms from unrelated cultures. As a matter of fact, the pictographs may have been produced out of simple boredom. There are many locations throughout the western part of the U.S. where early pioneers wrote their names on the rocks also. I guess some archaeologist in the distant future, unable to read our handwriting, would probably deem those markings religious also.
The dark coating on the rocks comes from a fairly simple chemical reaction, manganese an element, becomes manganese oxide. There are several fomulations of manganese oxide, however the most basic is MnO, a simple combination with oxygen. Manganese in its pure form, is a light grey to white powder that resembles iron. It is used with iron and other elements, to make steel. It is sometimes found dissolved in water as a trace element. In the dessert areas of the world, over time, these traces of manganese are deposited on the surface of the rocks and is sometimes called desert varnish. From personal experience, we have used manganese as a trace element for fertilization of palm trees and if any of the water with manganese gets on any surface, it will permanently stain the surface.
Unfortunately, most archaeologists (at least in the U.S.) have a tendency to see either mysticism or religion in everything associated with ancient cultures. Although some of the symbols used do have religious connotations, it is impossible to attribute a religious significance to them without imposing cultural norms from unrelated cultures. As a matter of fact, the pictographs may have been produced out of simple boredom. There are many locations throughout the western part of the U.S. where early pioneers wrote their names on the rocks also. I guess some archaeologist in the distant future, unable to read our handwriting, would probably deem those markings religious also.
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