Rock Art Studies: News from the Alps (2010-2014)

International audienceThe Alps are a vast mountainous territory divided into France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. Frequency of rock art studies varies dramatically depending on the regions, the Mont Bego area (France) and the Valcamonica and Valtellina (Italy) being the most studied. Eastern regions are far less investigated. Rock imagery in the Alps has existed from at least the Neolithic period to the 20th century. The presence of Palaeolithic engravings in Valcamonica is accepted by some specialists but such an assertion should be considered with caution in the absence of sufficient data. This synthesis summarizes 51 books, articles and Ph.D. dissertations published or discussed from 2010 onwards, chosen for the importance of the discoveries they are describing, for the relevance of the scientific issues addressed, for the thoroughness of the methods used, and for their contributions to Alpine rock imagery studies. Many other interesting studies could not be addressed within the limitations of this article