Rock Art Of Utah

By Polly Schaafsma

Over many centuries, the prehistoric Fremont and Anasazi peoples of present-day Utah left an artistic record in which distinctive styles are readily identifiable. From the Uinta Mountains through the central canyonlands to the Virgin River, Utah’s abundant prehistoric rock art offers glimpses of a lost world.

The Rock Art of Utah is a rich sample of the many varieties of rock art found in the state. Through nearly two hundred high-quality photographs and drawings from the Donald Scott Collection, all made during the 1920s and 1930s, rock art expert Polly Schaafsma provides a fascinating, comprehensive tour of this unique legacy.

From the Uinta Mountains through the central canyonlands to the Virgin River, Utah’s abundant prehistoric rock art offers glimpses of a lost world. Over many centuries, the Fremont and Anasazi peoples left an artistic record in which distinctive styles are readily identifiable.

The Rock Art of Utah is a guide to the many varieties of rock art found in the state. Through dozens of high-quality photographs and drawings from the Donald Scott Collection, all made during the 1920s and 30s, author Polly Schaafsma provides a fascinating, comprehensive tour of this unique legacy. Now in an updated edition, it will engage anyone with an interest in the ancient peoples of the Colorado Plateau.

Polly Schaafsma is research associate at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Laboratory of Anthropology at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Acknowledgments
Donald Scott and His Collection, by J.O. Brew

I. The Background
Description of the Study
The Concept of Style
The Geographic and Cultural Setting

II. Rock Art East of the Wasatch Mountains
The Uinta Fremont
The San Rafael—The Northern Zone
The San Rafael Fremont—The Southern Zone

III. Specialized Developments in the Eastern Fremont Area

IV. Rock Art West of the Wasatch Mountains
The Western Utah Painted Style
Sevier Style A
The Fremont and the Great Basin
Curvilinear Style
Petroglyphs at Parowan Gap and Braffet Canyon
Fremont Sites in Eastern Nevada

V. Summary

VI. Rock Art of the Virgin Kayenta Region of the Anasazi
A Basketmaker Painting from Cottonwood Wash, Kanab
The Eastern Virgin Kayenta Style
The Cave Valley Style
The Western Virgin Kayenta Style

VII. Chronology
Dating the Virgin Kayenta Styles
The Age of Fremont Rock Art
Evidence for Chronological Development in Fremont Rock Art
The Age and Cultural Affiliations of the Barrier Canyon Style Paintings

VIII. The Relationships of the Fremont Culture to the Great Basin, the Southwest, and the Plains
The Fremont and the Great Basin
Pueblo-Fremont Relationships
The Eastern Fremont and the San Juan Basketmakers
The Fremont and the Northern Plains
Conclusions

IX. Interpretation
The Virgin Kayenta
The Fremont
The Barrier Canyon Style

Bibliography