Day of Archaeology 2015
To celebrate Day of Archaeology 2015, editor Peter Robinson reflects on the work of the Bradshaw Foundation over the last 20 years.
Our main areas of focus are archaeology, anthropology and genetic research; our primary objective is to discover, document and preserve ancient rock art around the world, and promote the study of early humankind's artistic achievements.
The Bradshaw Foundation funds preservation projects around the world, scientific research and research publication, and carries out its work in collaboration with UNESCO, the Peoples' Republic of China, the Royal Geographic Society, the National Geographic Society, and the Rock Art Research Institute in South Africa, among other organisations, to ensure that the programs achieve maximum impact. It is a not-for-profit organisation based in Geneva.
Our first major preservation project was in the Sahara; under the auspices of UNESCO World Heritage we undertook the moulding and casting of the largest animal petroglyph in the world - the Dabous Giraffes of Niger. This was featured in the National Geographic magazine and on the Discovery Channel. One of the casts is located at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C.
Over the last 10 years, we were privileged to be able explore and document the famous Chauvet cave, as featured in Herzog's film Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Our research in Chauvet was in collaboration with Dr. Jean Clottes, the first director of scientific investigation in the cave, and with the French Ministry of Culture and Communications.
In 2014 the Bradshaw Foundation were invited to southern China by the Chinese government for fieldtrips and seminars to appraise the Huashan rock art site in light of UNESCO's World Heritage List, in association with the department of Cultural Relics Protection of the Peoples' Republic of China.
Our most recent project in 2015 has seen a successful collaboration with the American author and explorer Harry W. Crosby. The Bradshaw Foundation has just released the documentary film Baja California - In Search of Painted Caves. The film explores Crosby's 1970's recording of Baja California's Great Murals cave paintings.
We have been involved in rock art projects throughout Europe, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, North and South America and India, as well as research into World Heritage sites such as Easter Island, the temples of Malta and Stonehenge. We are also involved in genetic research with Oxford University and the Centre for the Advanced Study of Hominid Palaeobiology in Washington D.C.
The Bradshaw Foundation fully supports Day of Archaeology 2015; let's make one official day fuel future years of archaeological research and preservation.
Peter Robinson, Editor
Bradshaw Foundation
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/giraffe/index.php
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/index.php
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/china/huashan/index.php
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/baja/film/index.php
http://www.facebook.com/BradshawFoundation/videos/1016653711686703/
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