The Rock Art Podcast

In this episode, Alan speaks with Jens Notroff about the groundbreaking discoveries at Göbekli Tepe, one of the world's oldest monumental archaeological sites. They explore what its remarkable stone architecture, animal imagery, and material culture reveal about the social organization, ritual practices, and symbolic lives of hunter-gatherers more than 12,000 years ago. The conversation also examines how ongoing research is reshaping our understanding of the origins of monumentality, cooperation, and the transition to settled life.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/169

Links

The APN Awards - Nominations Open!

Jens Notroff wesbite

Jens Notroff academic papers

Göbekli Tepe, Türkei: Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2014 (Herbst) und 2015

Building Monuments, Creating Communities. Early monumental architecture at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe.

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In this episode, Alan speaks with Jose Battello about his Indigenous Nahua heritage, his journey into anthropology, and the role of Indigenous knowledge in archaeological interpretation. They explore decolonial approaches to research, Nahua cosmology as a lens for understanding Coso rock art, and the importance of Indigenous self-representation, language, and ceremonial traditions in preserving cultural knowledge.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/168

Links

The APN Awards - Nominations Open!

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

avram1952@yahoo.com

Dr. Alan Garfinkel’s Website

Support Dr. Garfinkel on Patreon

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In episode 167, Dr. Alan Garfinkel interviews author and conservationist Alan Ehrgott about his recent book, The Elusive Conquest of Queen Califa: California History Revisited. The discussion explores the Indigenous peoples of Baja California, the arrival of Spanish explorers and missionaries, and the role of rock art as a visual record of history, belief, and cultural survival. Ehrgott describes how his work blends historical research, memoir, adventure travel, and historical fiction, drawing from a 1,200-mile backpacking journey along Baja California’s Camino Real and decades of study of California history and conservation. The episode examines Indigenous lifeways, missionization, colonial encounters, cave paintings, and the enduring cultural landscapes of Baja California, while reflecting on how archaeology, oral traditions, and rock art help illuminate the complex history of California and its first peoples.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/167

Links

The Elusive Conquest of Queen Califa by Alan Ehrgott

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Dr. Alan Garfinkel

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In episode 166, Dr. Alan Garfinkel continues his discussion of a major Coso rock art panel, focusing on recurring symbolic elements and their possible cosmological meanings. He examines prominent figures depicted with snakes and distinctive staff-like wands, drawing on insights from researcher Bernard Jones and Hopi ceremonial traditions to explore connections between rock art, the winter solstice, and beliefs about maintaining cosmic balance. Alan discusses Indigenous concepts of the sun and moon as opposing yet complementary forces, including Nahua and broader Uto-Aztecan traditions that explain celestial cycles through mythic conflict and renewal.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/166

Links

Iconicity of the Uto-Aztecans: Snake Anthropomorphy in the Great Basin, the American Southwest and Mesoamerica

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Dr. Alan Garfinkel

avram1952@yahoo.com

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In episode 165, Dr. Alan Garfinkel interviews Dr. Meenakshi Dubey-Paik about her decades of research on India’s rock art, including extensive work on painted rock shelters. She describes how some tribes treat certain sites as sacred for vows, offerings, and festivals, using signs/symbols, animal imagery, dance, and music-induced trance, while noting cultural change from relocation and the addition of later shrines (e.g., Shiva/Kali) that shifts attention away from older images. Meenakshi highlights key motifs (animals, honey collection, dancers, tiger beliefs), and urges education and conservation to prevent vandalism and development damage.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/165

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

avram1952@yahoo.com

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