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Introduction to Rock Art Research. David S. Whitley. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc., 2005. xiv + 215 pp.
TOMMY CHARLES
University of South Carolina
Introduction to Rock Art Research is well written, highly readable, and to the point. One has only to read the preface and David Whitley's love for rock art is immediately obvious; his affection for, and his considerable experience in, this facet of archaeology is evident throughout. Beginning with his introduction, Whitley takes the reader by the hand as he explains what rock art is and details its various forms: pictographs, petroglyphs, intaglios, geoglyphs, pits and grooves, and methods of manufacture. The progression of chapters that follow provide the reader with an overview of basic fieldwork methodology and classification of rock art, the complex sciences of rock art dating, various methods and theories of analysis and interpretation, neuropsychology and other formal approaches to research, and site management and conservation. The publication is enhanced by a number of visuals, photographs, drawings, tables, and diagrams that enable the reader to better interpret the text.
Whitley broaches the subject of research biases in chapter 3 in which he states: "All research, including data collection and classification, is guided by a scientist's theoretical interests and biases. These interests...