Katie Scarlett with authentic petroglyphs, Moab, Utah

Reading somewhere on the internet the other day I saw an article about how scientists and historians now believe that many Petroglyphs found in areas of America could be much much older than previously believed. It brought to mind an adventure I had a few years back–an art pilgrimage to Utah. I put my dog Katie Scarlett in the car and my bicycle on the back and headed west.

After two long days of travel I found myself amidst the mystical and strange landscape of Moab, Utah. The geology of this part of Utah is complex and unique in the world. Rock layers are exposed that represent over 500 million years of geologic changes. Mormon settlers of the 1800s dubbed the area Moab, the Biblical name for a land just short of the Promised Land.

A dog, a bike, and a long beautiful drive…

My tour guide in Moab was none other than fellow artist Michael Anderson, aka Manderson. Almost immediately Manderson had Katie Scarlett and me immersed in the vast canyons of central Utah.  And as Manderson told me, the whole region is pretty much art in itself.

Left by Native Americans, Utah has one of the greatest concentrations of prehistoric rock art in America. Images represent animals, people, or snaking lines; some images look like aliens or space crafts; and other images defy explanation. Centuries ago, archaic native peoples pecked designs and figures onto the smooth faces of cliffs and large boulders. These artworks are known as petroglyphs.

It’s me with circa now “Artificial glyphs” at the Canyonlands Inn, Moab.

Petroglyphs, or glyphs as the locals call them, are created by rock removal such as pecking, scratching, abrading, carving, drilling, or incising. Locations of choice were rock facets coated with patina, dark mineral accumulation on rock surfaces. The incising removed the patina, exposing the contrasting lighter rock interior. This art form differs from pictographs which are pigmented rather than carved.

The dry desert environment has preserved an incomparable cultural legacy of more than 1,000 rock art sites, some with dozens of panels and thousands of glyphs. Some Rock Art is as old as human occupation, but almost all is attributed to be 600 to 1,500 years old. However, some Anasazi sites have been dated to 2000 BC.

What the designs mean is still unclear. Archaeologists debate that they represent concepts, ideas, or actual events, or whether they were part of religious activity or hunting ritual. Some symbols are believed to be warnings to others. Whatever the relevance, Native Americans and Utah residents take these treasures seriously as an important part of cultural heritage—history carved in stone.

Petroglyphs at Arches National Park by Sanjay Acharya (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

When visiting Utah, information is readily available on where to find the best glyphs. But Rock Art adoration is not for the weak of body or spirit—many sites are located in remote areas that require treacherous drives followed by hiking and climbing.  One day while hiking and searching for glyphs I asked Manderson if the trail would end soon and his answer was disheartening;  seems that trail never ends, where ever we turned around would be the half-way point!

And might I just note, for a lowlands sporting dog, Katie Scarlett was up and down cliffs and rockfaces as nimble and sure-footed as a mountain goat!  I don’t think she ever had so much fun.

Discover Moab