Traditional Aboriginal Rock Art

Engravings found in the Olary region of South Australia are confirmed to be more than 35000 years old the oldest dated rock art on earth.

Traditional aboriginal rock art. New DNA sequencing methods reanalyse the remains of the famous Mungo Man - the oldest known Australian. The other category is contemporary indigenous art. X-ray art shows the artists connection and understanding of his country and its inhabitants.

What is Aboriginal rock art. Petroglyphs rock engravings and pictographs drawings are a key component of rock art. Aboriginal rock art Two main categories of indigenous art exist.

Indeed he says the richest collections of rock art in the Kimberley Arnhem Land Cape York Peninsula are on sandstone. The first evidence of Aboriginal ethos or philosophy is evident in the still visible rock art which dates back more than 20000 years. Across Australia rock art is an integral part of Aboriginal life and customs dating back to the earliest times of human settlement on the continent.

Ochres were used to paint on rocks. Aboriginal Dreamtime stories rock art and cave paintings have often been considered more myth then reality like the stories we find in the teachings of modern day religions. Many of the animals are painted showing some anatomical features that is painted in x-ray.

Archaeologists have been able to date remains and findings as far back as 40000 to 60000 years from discoveries of primal campsites. Located in the aboriginal community of Gunbalanya this sandstone monolith consists of five galleries with art. Plain and concentric cirlces straight bar-lines and sinuous lines and animal tracks prevail in each art form.

An indication of the ancient derivations of the ground art is that identical designs elements occur in the rock engravings some of which are now known to be about twenty thousand years old. According to Aboriginal Art Online the most traditional painting material used by Aboriginal peoples was ochre. It is thought that there are over 100000 rock art sites in Australia which provide a unique archive of indigenous art.