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So, What's a Site Recording?

By Alanah J. Woody, PhD, RPA

The first step in protecting Nevada’s rock art is to have the site thoroughly documented– and that’s where NRAF volunteers come in! Recording even a small rock art site is a lengthy, involved process, but anyone can learn the skills to do it accurately and completely. It doesn’t take an advanced archaeological degree or even years of experience – using the methods taught by NRAF and working under the supervision of an archaeologist, anyone who wants to make a contribution to the preservation of Nevada’s past can learn to record rock art.

In general, a complete site record consists of photos, drawings and a site map. Photographs are made to archival standards using black & white negative film, color slides and digital prints with a photo board. Every attempt is made to take photographs of rock art panels from a standard distance to ensure the scale remains consistent throughout the site, and at an angle of 90° to reduce distortion of the rock art motifs caused by variations in the rock surface. Of course this is not possible in every case but it is important to strive for consistency as much as possible.

Interestingly, contrary to what might seem to make intuitive sense, tracing has been shown in European studies (O’Connor 1999) to be the least accurate means of recording rock art because of surface irregularities and contours. Furthermore, the pressure on the rock surface involved in tracing is potentially damaging and even the most dedicated people may make a mistake and go off or through the tracing material. Additionally, some stone or even some rock art (e.g., pictographs) are far too fragile to withstand the pressure of tracing, and someone with less experience may not be able to adequately differentiate when it is and when it is not acceptable. NRAF encourages only “best practice” methods for rock art recording and regards tracing as destructive and therefore a completely unacceptable method of recording.

NRAF teaches a team made up of two people to work together on field drawings (one as the “spotter” to examine the panel closely and point out hard-to-see details and one as the “drawer”), using a string grid to ensure accuracy. Then, in spite of nearly everyone’s fear that “I can’t draw,” accurate drawings are just a matter of ‘connecting-the-dots.’ Making drawings on-site and in teams allows for even the most difficult-to-see details to be included in the panel drawings. And with only a little practice, anyone can be producing highly accurate drawings rapidly and consistently.

The string grid is made of lightweight cotton thread and in the vast majority of cases is simply laid across the panel and the strings adjusted until they are straight and corners square. For vertical panels, in many cases the string is light enough that it “sticks” to the surface of the rock alone (almost like a cobweb), but in a small number of cases tape is required to attach the grid. Low-tack blue tape is then used, sparingly, and is never put on rock art motifs and is never left on the surface of the rock long enough to bond or leave a residue. At every stage of the recording process every attempt to mitigate our presence on the site is taken to achieve the goal of non-destructive recording. For panels that can’t be reached (for example they may be very high or if there simply isn’t anywhere to stand to do the drawing), other drawing techniques can be used, but details and accuracy may be adversely affected, and so extensive field checking is required if alternative methods are used.

Site maps are sometimes completed ahead of a recording project by land managers using high-tech mapping equipment; sometimes maps are done on site using hand-held GPS units or maps can even be made by using a tape measure and a compass – but that takes real experience to do accurately! An exact location of every panel is needed in a rock art site recording as well as that of other archaeological features that may be present. In order to understand rock art it is necessary to place it in its landscape context which is why accurate mapping of panels is important.

Rock art site recording is an often lengthy and involved process, but when simple methods are practiced under the guidance of professional archaeologists, avocational volunteers really can make a significant contribution to the preservation of the rock art of Nevada and the Great Basin. Training classes are scheduled regularly in both the northern and southern parts of the state, and the same can be done in other areas as well if there is sufficient interest. The Nevada Rock Art Foundation continues to schedule projects throughout the state and encourages anyone who has an interest in becoming involved to contact the Foundation for further information.

References
O’Connor, B.
1999 Rock Art Pilot Project: A Conservation and Management Study of Rock Motifs in England. Paper Presented at the 5th Annual Meeting of the European Archaeological Association, Bournemouth, England, September 14-19, 1999.