PETROGLYPHS - A STEP BACK IN TIME

A couple of years ago a discovery was made very near the subdivision where we live. The image above is part of what can be seen etched into a nearby rock outcropping. This unique discovery was made as land was being surveyed for the new subdivision. The city has promised to leave them 'as is' and to pass an ordinance protecting them. Since they are on private property they do not automatically have the same protections as petroglyphs that have been found on public lands or government property.

On a recent hike I was shown the exact spot by one of my grandsons who previously went with his Boy Scout troop to see the area. It is about a 30 minute hike from my house. It would be even quicker getting there if you didn't have to fight your way through a lot of stickery tumbleweeds en route.

I do hope that the city follows through on their promise to protect this ancient artwork. Estimates vary as to their age. One newspaper article reported them to be approximately 2000 years old. Another stated their age as 8000 years. Whatever the case they are old and on rock that is slowly deteriorating and crumbling over time. They are quite vulnerable to those who do not know how to carefully care for them (i.e. unsupervised children who might climb on top of them and those uninformed visitors who touch them, leaving a residue of body oil which will speed up the deterioration of the surface).

Petroglyphs hold a great deal of fascination for me and I often play the game of attempting to rewind my mental clock way back to the time of their creation and picturing how life might have been at that time. Who, what, when, where, why, how? Wish I could conjure up those answers...