Rock art depicts solar event; for prehistoric cultures solar observations were crucial for calendrical and ceremonial purposes, often recorded in pictographs and petroglyphs.

Photos: Gordon Houston

An article by Carol Christian on www.chron.com - Ancient Texas pictograph mystery solved, Houston researcher says - reveals the relationship between rock art and solar events.

The image above shows a shaft of light pin-pointing the pictograph at solar noon on the winter solstice, located in Concho County, Texas. Researchers believe this is one example of how ancient people created signs to mark the solstice and equinox; at a height of 20 feet from ground level, this pictograph demonstrates a high level of accuracy and intent. 

At this rock art site there are roughly 1,500 pictographs, 12 of which appear to have 'solar interaction.' It is unclear which people painted the pictographs at this rock art site, which are thought to have been created between 1300 A.D. and 1700 A.D.

Editor's note: There are many examples of rock art which are believed to depict astronomical events. For prehistoric cultures solar observations were crucial for calendrical and ceremonial purposes. Not only for a solstice or equinox, but also for rare events such as a solar eclipse, these events would have been recorded. However, there is always the danger of misinterpretation when considering rock art and solar interaction. The image above was captured in the late afternoon of the spring and autumn equinoxes; the sun line touches, simultaneously, the bottoms of both feet of a bird-like figure at the top right of the pictograph, as if to depict 'walking a chosen path'. Whilst this alignment only occurs on the equinoxes, we can not be sure that this was the intention of the artist.

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