Theoretical Perspectives in Rock Art Research.

Theoretical Perspectives in Rock Art Research. Rock art KNUT HELSKOG (ed.). Theoretical perspectives in rock art research.330 pages, 79 figures, 1 table. 2001. Oslo: Novus; 82-7099-338-7hardback Kr395 & 50.60 [euro]. DAVID David, in the BibleDavid,d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. S. WHITLEY (ed.). Handbook of rock art research. 863 pages,244 figures, 2 tables. 2001. Walnut Creek Walnut Creek,residential city (1990 pop. 60,569), Contra Costa co., W Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area; inc. 1914. It is the trade and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area where walnuts are among the major product. (CA): Alta Mira; 0-7425-0256-2hardback $99.95. Dr HELSKOG introduces 15 papers under four headings: theory;beliefs; landscapes; and gender. The first set ranges over methodologyas well as interpretation of symbolism. D. Vogt considers a history oflong lurches in interpretation from generation to generation in southernNorway and Sweden. Dr Whitley discusses the state of the art in the USA,partly in regard to the Native American Graves Protection &Repatriation RepatriationThe process of converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country.Notes:If you are American, converting British Pounds back to U.S. dollars is an example of repatriation. Act (1990). The papers on belief are case studies fromCentral Asia (`from semiotics to phenomenology'), Arnhem Land (P.Tacon & C. Chippindale), and Norway. On landscapes are R. Bradley on`abstraction: knowledge and power' in Europe, J. Deacon on `whatcomes first' among the / Xam San, `the art or the place', andI.-M. Olsrud with a case study from Norway. On gender are two studiesfrom Norway and T.A. Dowson on the sociology of knowledge The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and of the effects prevailing ideas have on societies. (Compare history of ideas. in studies ofrock art. The Handbook is a landmark in the development of that knowledge. Itcomprises general reviews including Dr WHITLEY'S generalintroduction. Seven cover recording, site management, dating, physicaland chemical analysis, and, concentrating on North America but withcomparative reference to Europe, `style and classification',including consideration of interpretation (`Once ... spatial andtemporal variation of descriptive types are better understood, it will... be possible to address more interpretive and substantive ... issues... within and between cultural systems' (J.E. Francis, p. 238)).C. Chippindale distinguishing design and meaning, M. Conkey onstructuralism structuralism,theory that uses culturally interconnected signs to reconstruct systems of relationships rather than studying isolated, material things in themselves. This method found wide use from the early 20th cent. and semiotics, R. Layton on ethnography and D.Lewis-Williams on psychology have contributed on interpretation. Therest of the book -- more than half -- comprises regional reviews (two onN. America, two on S. America, two on Europe (J. Clottes, R. Bradley,Chippindale, Helskog), two on Africa, one on the Middle East, a single,comparatively short, paper on the rest of Asia, and a couple onAustralia and Oceania). An immense literature is covered. Indeed, morecare has been taken with the text than the illustrations but the volumehas been produced to a suitably sturdy standard. See too the following title and pp. 270-71, below.