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Who Were the First Stone Carvers?
By Ron T White
There are several different prehistoric and historic
peoples involved in the history of stone carving.
Spanning from 10,000 BC through A.D. 1880 many different
markings have been left on large boulders and canyon
walls across the country. We will talk specifically
about the area surrounding the Colorado River as it runs
through Moab, Utah and investigate the tribes and styles
of stone carving found in this region.
On the Colorado Plateau the earliest evidence of hand
carved rock art is thought to be carved during what is
known as the Archaic period. This period spans from
approximately 5,500 B.C. to A.D. 1. There were a couple
different styles of stone carvings left during each of
the time spans we will discuss. The first type consists
of zig zag and parallel lines, dots, circles and other
kinds of non-specific shapes. This style of rock art is
called Abstract. The other style of carving consists of
ghostlike body forms, headdresses, animal and plant
forms. This style is known as Representational or
Barrier Canyon Style.
The next stone carvers to leave their mark on the
Colorado Plateau would be the Anasazi. The word Anasazi
literally translated means the ancient ones. They
inhabited the area from A.D. 1 to A.D. 1275. Their
Representational style consisted of a variety of human
forms also known as Anthropomorphic forms with earrings,
headdresses, handprints, paw prints, birds, spirals,
bighorn sheep, shield like images, deer and, the well
known, Kokopellis in several different styles. They too
left some Abstract designs consisting of different
combinations of parallel and wavy lines, meanders and
other vague shapeless carvings.
The Fremont also inhabited the Colorado Plateau for part
of the time that the Anasazi were there. The Fremont
existed on the plateau from about A.D. 450 to around
A.D. 1250. Their Representational stone carvings were
slightly different than that of the Anasazi. Their human
forms or Anthropomorphic forms have wider shoulders and
are more trapezoidal or square in shape. The human forms
are filled with abstract decorations while the exteriors
were adorned with elaborate headdresses and ear bobs.
Like the Anasazi the Fremont people carved deer and
bighorn sheep by hand in stone, too. This overlap of
existence between the Anasazi and Fremont people is
called the Formative period and spans from A.D. 1 to
A.D. 1275.
The final group we will discuss is the Ute tribe. They
existed on the plateau from approximately A.D. 1200 to
approximately A.D. 1800. Their Representational stone
carvings consisted of human forms both on foot and on
horseback, there were many hunting and warfare scenes as
well. There are also many stone carvings of horses with
no riders as well as bison and other animal figures. We
know that carvings depicting bows and arrows were done
most likely after A.D. 500 because this is the time
period that is generally accepted for their appearance
while carvings depicting horses are thought to be done
after A.D. 1540 because is when the Spaniards
reintroduced the horse to the new world.
All these different peoples left their mark hand carved
in stone on the Colorado Plateau and gave a special gift
for all of us that have followed them. To see the
different designs is always a treat but when we have
some knowledge of who left these stone carvings and when
they were done it makes it all the more enjoyable and we
are able to feel more connected to our past. |
