Benjamin Smith
Benjamin W. Smith is Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art) and was the Associate Dean, Research and Research Training, from 2013 to 2021 at the University of Western Australia. He joined UWA Archaeology in 2013. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in: African archaeology; World Rock Art Studies; Archaeological Theory and Method; Heritage and Society. His major research interests include theory and method in rock art studies, rock art dating, digital archiving in archaeology, rock art and identity, contextual approaches to the interpretation of meaning and motivation in rock art, and the role of rock art in modern societies.
From 2000 he was director of the Rock Art Research Institute in South Africa. He grew the Institute, from a local research hub into the world’s leading institution for training, publication and public outreach in the field of rock art studies. During his time as director he raised in excess of $15 million to run special projects and built the institution from a staff of three to a staff of eleven. One of his most important projects was the creation of the South African Museum of Rock Art and the consolidation of the offices and laboratories of the Rock Art Research Institute as well as the world’s largest collection of rock art recordings within this institution. Another major project was the creation of the world’s largest online digital rock art archive containing more than 250,000 digital images of rock art from around the world (www.sarada.co.za).
He has supervised more than 30 postgraduate students and many have gone on to take up leading jobs in the field and to become prolific publishers. He was the draftsperson of the South African Transformation Charter for Archaeology in 2008 and the South African National Policy on Archaeology and Palaeontology in 2011.
He has published extensively on rock art from across Africa, with a strong emphasis on contextual interpretation as well as on the arts of African herders and farmers. He edited the South African Archaeological Bulletin from 2005 until 2013.
From 2000 he was director of the Rock Art Research Institute in South Africa. He grew the Institute, from a local research hub into the world’s leading institution for training, publication and public outreach in the field of rock art studies. During his time as director he raised in excess of $15 million to run special projects and built the institution from a staff of three to a staff of eleven. One of his most important projects was the creation of the South African Museum of Rock Art and the consolidation of the offices and laboratories of the Rock Art Research Institute as well as the world’s largest collection of rock art recordings within this institution. Another major project was the creation of the world’s largest online digital rock art archive containing more than 250,000 digital images of rock art from around the world (www.sarada.co.za).
He has supervised more than 30 postgraduate students and many have gone on to take up leading jobs in the field and to become prolific publishers. He was the draftsperson of the South African Transformation Charter for Archaeology in 2008 and the South African National Policy on Archaeology and Palaeontology in 2011.
He has published extensively on rock art from across Africa, with a strong emphasis on contextual interpretation as well as on the arts of African herders and farmers. He edited the South African Archaeological Bulletin from 2005 until 2013.
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Books by Benjamin Smith
The idea behind the series was to provide an overall yet relatively precise view of what is known about the rock art of a wide geographical area. In the regions fortunate enough to have had a long tradition of research, in Western Europe for instance, this should not be too difficult. On the other hand, the situation is quite different in many parts of the world where such in-depth research has not (yet) taken place.
Many of the vast areas covered in this volume fall into this second category. The scope of the current volume is the Rock Art of East Asia, from Siberia in the north to Malaysia in the south and stretching as far west as needed to cover all regions lying to the east of the previous volume in this series that concerned the Rock Art of Central Asia. The countries covered by this volume are Far Eastern Russia, the Republic of Korea; Japan; Mongolia; China; Vietnam; Laos; Cambodia; Thailand and Malaysia.
The coverage of the individual countries covered in the volume is necessarily uneven because the amount of rock art and research in each country varies considerably. China, for example, has been subdivided into three different zones. This has allowed the authors to provide a wealth of details on the rock art of regions which up to now were all but unknown internationally.
ICOMOS provided each contributor with a Brief in which they were asked to cover the following topics:
Profile of Sub-Zone
Based on defined rock art traditions in relation to distribution in space and time and to archaeological context.
• Characteristic features of natural landscape and the geographical boundaries of the Sub-zone;
• Prevailing types of landscapes which are characteristic for rock art sites in this Sub-zone; types of bedrock for rock art;
• Number and extent of rock art sites in this Sub-zone;
• Dating of rock art objects;
• Rock art traditions identified;
• Archaeological context of the Sub-zone (brief description, state of knowledge on archaeological cultures relevant to the identified rock art traditions);
• Present ethno-cultural context of rock art sites; presence or absence of recorded traditions of respect and worship connected to the rock art sites. 1
Links with other Sub-zones
i.e. overlaps with rock art traditions in other zones.
• Extent, to which the identified rock art traditions go beyond the boundaries of this sub-zone;
• Similarities and differences in landscapes and bedrock types;
• Representativeness of these identified rock art traditions for the other sub-zones (number of images, repertoire, artistic features, similarity or exclusiveness).
Known sites
Including cultural and natural World Heritage Sites; sites on World Heritage Tentative Lists (all these already identified and listed by ICOMOS).
Significant Rock Art Sites
To include a description of each Site:
• Location (region, district, distance from the nearest villages and towns);
• Geographical area, coordinates and altitude;
• Main types of bedrock (type of rock, relief, physical qualities of surfaces);
• Characteristics of physical parameters of images (technique, dimensions, color of patina or paint, exposition);
• Total number of images;
• Area of distribution of images;
• Description of various rock art traditions identified within the site (techniques, repertoire, style), their dating and percentage;
• Archaeological context (other known archaeological objects found within the same territory, state of research and cultural-chronological attribution);
• Cultural context (absence or presence of any recorded traditions related to rock art performance and/or respect to rock art sites from the side of local communities).
Content and forms of Documentation available:
For instance:
• Archaeological maps (showing the location of rock art and other objects);
• Other special maps (geological, geo-morphological, tectonic, landscape, etc.);
• Topographic maps of separate localities of rock images;
• Indexed panoramas of separate localities of rock images (graphic and photographic);
• Photographs of individual surfaces with images;
• Rubbings of individual surfaces with images;
• Other types of documentation (aerial photos, video, 3D digital models, etc.);
• Types of inventory records;
• Location of documentation.
Research
How far have rock art sites been researched for their associations to societies both past and present, particularly significances which indigenous populations give (or have given) to the decorated sites.
Protection
• Existing laws and other official protection systems and mechanisms;
• Legal protection, protection zoning, safeguarding.
Conservation
As complete and as correct a picture as possible to include:
• Present state of conservation and affecting factors (rock art and other archaeological objects, and landscape);
• Methods and materials used in practical conservation;
• Preventative conservation methods.
Management:
To include:
• Management, maintenance, monitoring (including traditional forms of management and management of natural values);
• Main agencies involved in management;
• Whether Management plans exist;
• Links with, and involvement of, local communities;
• Modern use of the site (e.g. agriculture, pasture, hunting, recreation, etc.);
• Tourism and access;
• Limitations in resources.
Main threats
For instance:
• Changes to surrounding vegetation;
• Rock fissures/laminations/water ingress;
• Climate change;
• Limitations in funding;
• Lack of management;
• Inappropriate uses.
Conclusions for the Sub-zone
Conclusions on:
• Scope and extent of evidence;
• Documentation;
• Problems with management and conservation as well as good practice;
• Threats;
• What Pre-Nomination support might be needed;
• Potential of Zone to contribute sites to the World Heritage List;
• Recommendations for the future.
These recommendations are meant to cover all possible issues and to be useful for the contributors who are thus provided with a detailed framework. Not surprisingly, conservation problems are duly stressed, as rock art is vulnerable and more threatened than ever all over the world.
Papers by Benjamin Smith
The idea behind the series was to provide an overall yet relatively precise view of what is known about the rock art of a wide geographical area. In the regions fortunate enough to have had a long tradition of research, in Western Europe for instance, this should not be too difficult. On the other hand, the situation is quite different in many parts of the world where such in-depth research has not (yet) taken place.
Many of the vast areas covered in this volume fall into this second category. The scope of the current volume is the Rock Art of East Asia, from Siberia in the north to Malaysia in the south and stretching as far west as needed to cover all regions lying to the east of the previous volume in this series that concerned the Rock Art of Central Asia. The countries covered by this volume are Far Eastern Russia, the Republic of Korea; Japan; Mongolia; China; Vietnam; Laos; Cambodia; Thailand and Malaysia.
The coverage of the individual countries covered in the volume is necessarily uneven because the amount of rock art and research in each country varies considerably. China, for example, has been subdivided into three different zones. This has allowed the authors to provide a wealth of details on the rock art of regions which up to now were all but unknown internationally.
ICOMOS provided each contributor with a Brief in which they were asked to cover the following topics:
Profile of Sub-Zone
Based on defined rock art traditions in relation to distribution in space and time and to archaeological context.
• Characteristic features of natural landscape and the geographical boundaries of the Sub-zone;
• Prevailing types of landscapes which are characteristic for rock art sites in this Sub-zone; types of bedrock for rock art;
• Number and extent of rock art sites in this Sub-zone;
• Dating of rock art objects;
• Rock art traditions identified;
• Archaeological context of the Sub-zone (brief description, state of knowledge on archaeological cultures relevant to the identified rock art traditions);
• Present ethno-cultural context of rock art sites; presence or absence of recorded traditions of respect and worship connected to the rock art sites. 1
Links with other Sub-zones
i.e. overlaps with rock art traditions in other zones.
• Extent, to which the identified rock art traditions go beyond the boundaries of this sub-zone;
• Similarities and differences in landscapes and bedrock types;
• Representativeness of these identified rock art traditions for the other sub-zones (number of images, repertoire, artistic features, similarity or exclusiveness).
Known sites
Including cultural and natural World Heritage Sites; sites on World Heritage Tentative Lists (all these already identified and listed by ICOMOS).
Significant Rock Art Sites
To include a description of each Site:
• Location (region, district, distance from the nearest villages and towns);
• Geographical area, coordinates and altitude;
• Main types of bedrock (type of rock, relief, physical qualities of surfaces);
• Characteristics of physical parameters of images (technique, dimensions, color of patina or paint, exposition);
• Total number of images;
• Area of distribution of images;
• Description of various rock art traditions identified within the site (techniques, repertoire, style), their dating and percentage;
• Archaeological context (other known archaeological objects found within the same territory, state of research and cultural-chronological attribution);
• Cultural context (absence or presence of any recorded traditions related to rock art performance and/or respect to rock art sites from the side of local communities).
Content and forms of Documentation available:
For instance:
• Archaeological maps (showing the location of rock art and other objects);
• Other special maps (geological, geo-morphological, tectonic, landscape, etc.);
• Topographic maps of separate localities of rock images;
• Indexed panoramas of separate localities of rock images (graphic and photographic);
• Photographs of individual surfaces with images;
• Rubbings of individual surfaces with images;
• Other types of documentation (aerial photos, video, 3D digital models, etc.);
• Types of inventory records;
• Location of documentation.
Research
How far have rock art sites been researched for their associations to societies both past and present, particularly significances which indigenous populations give (or have given) to the decorated sites.
Protection
• Existing laws and other official protection systems and mechanisms;
• Legal protection, protection zoning, safeguarding.
Conservation
As complete and as correct a picture as possible to include:
• Present state of conservation and affecting factors (rock art and other archaeological objects, and landscape);
• Methods and materials used in practical conservation;
• Preventative conservation methods.
Management:
To include:
• Management, maintenance, monitoring (including traditional forms of management and management of natural values);
• Main agencies involved in management;
• Whether Management plans exist;
• Links with, and involvement of, local communities;
• Modern use of the site (e.g. agriculture, pasture, hunting, recreation, etc.);
• Tourism and access;
• Limitations in resources.
Main threats
For instance:
• Changes to surrounding vegetation;
• Rock fissures/laminations/water ingress;
• Climate change;
• Limitations in funding;
• Lack of management;
• Inappropriate uses.
Conclusions for the Sub-zone
Conclusions on:
• Scope and extent of evidence;
• Documentation;
• Problems with management and conservation as well as good practice;
• Threats;
• What Pre-Nomination support might be needed;
• Potential of Zone to contribute sites to the World Heritage List;
• Recommendations for the future.
These recommendations are meant to cover all possible issues and to be useful for the contributors who are thus provided with a detailed framework. Not surprisingly, conservation problems are duly stressed, as rock art is vulnerable and more threatened than ever all over the world.
category, found predominantly in Zimbabwe, and that comprises sets of segmented cloud-like shapes, sometimes associated with trees, sometimes associated with mushrooms, and often found among images of people and animals. This image category has defied attempts at coherent interpretation for more than a century. Termites of the Gods seeks to change this.