In the 2024 calendar of the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici (CCSP) there are many appointments concerning rock art-related research: appointments and events open not only to researchers but, as is the Institute’s custom, also to the many enthusiasts present in the Valley and outside.
The events are as follows:
June 26-29: CCSP will be hosting the International Conference “New Worlds, New Ideas,” focusing on the rock art of the so-called “new worlds” and on the methodological innovations related to the study of this artistic expression; it will be held at the Museum of the Nature Reserve of Engravings in Nadro (Valcamonica, Italy), of which CCSP has the scientific direction.
Indeed, in recent years, it has been the “new worlds” that have given us the greatest and most puzzling documents on the birth of art, in terms of dating, content, continuity and breadth of engraving phenomena. Awareness of the great richness represented by prehistoric rock art as a fundamental cultural act of Man is further consolidated by very ancient evidence and documents, predating the arrival of Homo Sapiens in Europe: the great sites of Brazil, U.S., Canada, and Australia, in addition to telling us of human groups that already possessed cognitive and physical capacities and thus capable of expressing themselves through signs and admirable compositions, are important fields of study for the identification of methodologies of analysis, aiming at achieving an increasingly precise dating of rock art. The Conference, organized by CCSP in collaboration with various Institutions, Associations, Universities, researchers and enthusiasts working in these areas, and under the auspices of IFRAO (the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations), resumes the tradition of giving voice to researchers working in these areas through an International Conference (both in face-to-face and online modes), which will on the one hand be an important opportunity to understand the chronological and geographical vastness of the engraving phenomena in the “new lands,” and on the other hand it will be helpful to confront the new techniques of research, conservation, management, and promotion of rock art. Participation in the conference is subject to registration, given the limited number of places available. The program also includes an evening dedicated to prehistoric music, with online links to Brazil and Cape Verde, where the Festivale Internacional de Teatro e Artes Performativas will be taking place.
After the Conference is over, the Seminar “Methods of Analysis, Data Collection and Data Management of Prehistoric Rock Art,” open to the participation of 12 students from Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, and Brazil, will begin on July 1. The Seminar, led by professors from various European and Italian universities, will consist of 12 days of field activities, plus meetings and verifications on the matters of data collection (cartography, external survey, photographic survey) and documentation management of prehistoric rock art. It will also be an opportunity to discuss issues that are not strictly archaeological: in fact, three themed evenings – which will be open to the public – are planned, on the rock art (and customs) of Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, and Brazil: reservations are also required for these 3 events (in the evening hours), due to the limited number of places available. The theme of the final evening will be discovering what such distant areas and cultures have in common.
From 15 to 28July, in the wonderful framework of Valcamonica, UNESCO heritage since 1979, the Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici organizes its annual recording rock-art fieldwork. Also this year, the fieldowork continues in the sites of Foppe di Nadro and I Verdi (Riserva naturale incisioni rupestri di Ceto, Cimbergo e Paspardo), to complete its documentation and to publish the areas. The recording rock art fieldwork will be open to archaeologists only – but with scheduled tours available.
At the end of October there will be a presentation of the results of six research scholarship (given by the Centro Camuno to as many researchers) on rock art topics, dealing with themes closely linked to “prehistoric everyday life”: the first forms of writing engraved on rocks, new data on the first inhabitants of Valcamonica, the applicability of a computerized model and program for the identification of ancient prehistoric settlements in the valley, rock art in the adjacent areas of Trentino (to understand differences and similarities with the rock art of Valcamonica).
Finally, in the first week of November, the trailer of the upcoming Immersive Exhibition on Valcamonica rock art, which is being prepared for 2025, will be presented at the MEET-Digital Culture Center in Milan.
The realization of these events was possible also thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Comunità Bresciana, which we thank.
For further information and reservations: +39 0364/42091 or info@ccsp.it