3rd Grade Art Project Northwood Elementary Art Enrichment Program Petroglyphs Presentation prepared and updated by NW PTA January 2017 3rd Grade Art Project Northwood Elementary Art Enrichment Program

Petroglyph What do you think the word means?

Petroglyph The word comes from Greek words “petro” means “stone” “glyphein” means “to carve”. Petroglyphs are drawings actually carved into rock. Petroglyphs (also called rock engravings) are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often (but not always) associated with prehistoric peoples. The word comes from the Greek words petros meaning "stone" and glyphein meaning "to carve", and was originally coined in French as pétroglyphe. As you go along through the slides you might just ask the students what they see and let them comment on the slides.  

Petroglyph vs. Pictograph Petroglyphs are not the same thing as “pictographs” which are drawings painted on rocks.

There are examples of petroglyphs all over the world including North America, Siberia, Africa, Australia and Scandinavia.

White Dot Many petroglyphs are 10,000 -12,000 years old! There are many theories to explain Petroglyph’s purpose, depending on their location, age, and the type of image. Some petroglyphs are thought to be astronomical markers, maps, and other forms of symbolic communication, including a form of "pre-writing". Petroglyph maps may show trails, symbols communicating time and distances traveled, as well as the local terrain in the form of rivers, landforms and other geographic features. Many petroglyphs are 10,000 -12,000 years old!

Petroglyphs are found all over the world and in different cultures, yet have many similar features. How could people so far away from each other create the same types of designs? How could people in Siberia carve the same style figures as someone in Australia?

Some symbols look like astrological markers, some look like maps or tell stories.

Historians think maybe they are a form of pre-writing. Remember nobody had invented the alphabet 12,000 years ago!! Nobody seems to know for sure.

Here is a picture of Native American cliff dwellings Here is a picture of Native American cliff dwellings. You can see paintings on the walls of their dwellings in Mesa Verde, New Mexico where the Anasazi Indians once lived.

Telling a Story According to one Hopi elder, this petroglyph may tell the story of two clans (the Mountain Sheep Clan and the Eagle Clan) separating from other people and returning to their place of origin.  Notice the boxy spiral shape?  This likely represents a “sipapu”, the place where Pueblo people believe they emerged from the earth (believed to be near the Grand Canyon).  You can also see the head and arms of a figure, and on the bottom right, a possible Katsina clan symbol. 

What story is being told here? Petroglyphs, Newspaper Rock National Historical Site, near Canyonlands National Park, Utah

More Native American Petoglyphs and Pictographs

Today’s Project In your imagination you will go back 12,000 years and create your very own petroglyph or pictograph. You can use the examples you saw today to recreate a style or create your own.

Now, cave kids…let’s get started!

Step 1 – Plan your Design On a scratch paper, plan out your petgroglyph design What is the story you are trying to tell? Which symbols will you use to tell your story? Set the boards out (upside down) while they’re at recess and ask them not to hold them when they sit down Place paper underneath to minimize mess from the paint

Step 2 – Carve your Design Write your name on the back of the board and carefully turn it back over. Careful! The boards are fragile, so do not move them around once you turn them over. Using your chopstick, carve out a design that recreates the geometric shapes reminiscent of those seen on Petroglyphs. Set the boards out (upside down) while they’re at recess and ask them not to hold them when they sit down Place paper underneath to minimize mess from the paint

Step 3 - Paint Rub brown paint over the wall board to give your board the appearance of a rock. Wipe off the excess paint. The brown paint will remain in the carved areas and will look darker than the paint on the surface. NOTES: The paint needs to be full strength to get in the grooves, and it was easy for one person to go around with the paint bottle, squeezing about 1-2 ounces on each board.  Multiple volunteers will be needed to help with wiping off the excess paint with a wet cloth. This creates the variation in color, but is definitely the messiest and most time consuming part of the lesson. Have adults carry them to the hall or floor to dry.  When they’re wet, they crack easily.

Step 4 - Drying Once you are done with the carving and painting, ask an adult to carry your petroglyph to the drying racks. The dry wall cracks easily when wet!