Prehistoric rock art in Scotland: archaeology, meaning and engagement

This booklet aims to widen understanding and appreciation of prehistoric rock carvings in Scotland. Rock art forms some of the most prolific, fascinating, and inspiring fragments of Scotland’s ancient past. It captures a wealth of information about the people who created it, the world they lived in, and the beliefs they held in order to make sense of that world. There is still much to learn about Scotland’s rock art, but investigations over the last two decades have helped us understand more about its significance to people in the past and its value to us today. In the following pages, we provide an overview of rock art in Scotland, its connections with other parts of Britain and Europe, and its treatment today. In the first two sections (About Rock Art and Rock Art and Meaning), we emphasise the uniqueness of Scotland’s rock art and explore the key questions surrounding it: What is it? Where is it? How old is it? Who made it? And, above all, what does it mean? In the third section (Rock Art Today), we highlight the importance of recording, preserving and celebrating the rock art that survives today to ensure future understanding, community engagement, and cultural identity. There is much more to say about rock art than we can possibly fit into this booklet and, in the final section, we offer suggestions for where to find out more and where to visit rock art in the landscape, in museums, and online