Geometric pecked rock engraving

This engraved boulder forms part of the biggest collection of rock engravings on display in Africa (The Rock Engraving Archive), consisting of almost 80 engraved boulders.

The majority of the engravings are on dolerite rocks. Just a few are on blue wonderstone. Various techniques have been used to engrave the images. These include pecking and fine-line engraving using a sharp object (such as a harder rock). The sound that some rocks made when struck would have added to the auditory experience, and a mark would have been left each time the rock was struck. Marks from the sharpening of tools and weapons against the hard surfaces also add a layer of meaning to the rocks.

We now have a better appreciation for how the engravings interacted with their landscapes; for example, how the experience of the art changes with the light, wind, rain, sounds and also the social perspective of the viewer. Some of the engravings can only be seen with carefully positioned lighting, as would have been the case in their natural landscape - at certain times of day the engravings would have 'magically' appeared.

With the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI), Origins Centre aims to facilitate the collection and organising of information and interpretations of about these displaced pieces of art and the people who created them.

These national treasures are now a permanent component of the Origins experience.

RE_2005_169_67 (RE/2005/169)