Rock Art Research

Recent archaeological surveys carried out in southern Iran (Fars region) resulted in finding two rock painting sites in this area. These newly discovered rock art sites, one being a rockshelter and the other one a cave, are located in the proximity of the Qare Aqaj river in southern Fars province. A purported hunting scene and geometric figures in red pigments are the main phenomena pictured on the walls of these sites. It should be noted that in the area surrounding this cave and rockshelter occur paintings on Sassanid-Islamic potteries and lithics dating to the Upper Palaeolithic period. Obviously any connection between these surface artefacts and the pictograms is difficult to establish and theoretical debate is not the aim of the present report. Concerning the chronology of these pictograms, sampling of pigment in order to do AMS 14C dating would be more relevant but has not been attempted.