Petroglyph

A petroglyph is a special picture made on rock surfaces. People make petroglyphs by scratching, chipping, or smoothing parts of a rock to share a story or idea. These carvings are a type of rock art, and many were made a very long time ago by ancient peoples.

The oldest known petroglyphs are found at Murujuga in Western Australia. These carvings are believed to be between 40,000 and 50,000 years old! Some petroglyphs are so important that they are protected like treasures, and a few have been named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, a group that helps keep the world’s special places safe.

Etymology and meaning

The word petroglyph comes from the Greek words petro-, meaning "stone", and glýphō, meaning "carve". It was first used in French as pétroglyphe.

In scholarly texts, a petroglyph is a rock engraving, while a petrograph (or pictograph) is a rock painting. Both are part of the larger group called rock art or parietal art. Petroforms, which are patterns made with large rocks on the ground, are different. Inuksuk are human-made rock shapes found in Arctic regions, but they are not petroglyphs.

History

Petroglyphs can be found all over the world except Antarctica, especially in Africa, Scandinavia, and Siberia. Many of these carvings are very old, from about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, near the end of the Neolithic and the late Upper Paleolithic times.

The oldest known petroglyphs are in Murujuga, Western Australia. Some of them may be between 40,000 and 50,000 years old. In July 2025, this site was named a World Heritage Site.

Even when new kinds of art like pictographs and ideograms started around 7,000 to 9,000 years ago, many cultures still made petroglyphs. Some groups kept making them until they met Western culture in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Interpretation

People have many ideas about why ancient people made petroglyphs. Some believe these carvings were very important to the cultures that created them, perhaps tied to their beliefs or ceremonies. Others think petroglyphs were like an early kind of writing or a way to share messages.

Some petroglyphs show maps of trails or landmarks. They might have also been part of special rituals. Over time, people in different places developed their own styles, but some look alike even though they are far apart. This might be because people traveled long distances or shared common ideas long ago.

Notable petroglyph sites

Main article: List of petroglyph sites

Petroglyphs are pictures carved into rocks by ancient people. One of the most famous places to see petroglyphs is Murujuga in Western Australia. These carvings are very old, and they help us learn about people who lived long ago.