IFRAO | Santuarios | Valcamonica Symposium
XX INTERNATIONAL ROCK ART CONGRESS IFRAO 2018 Standing on the shoulders of giants / Sulle spalle dei giganti
VALCAMONICA Darfo-Boario Terme (BS) Italia 29 August - 2 September 2018
The Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici (CCSP) and the Società Cooperativa Archeologica “Le Orme dell’Uomo” (Footsteps of Man Archaeological Cooperative Society) have the pleasure to invite you to the 20th International Rock Art Congress which will be held in Valcamonica (Italy) from 29th of August to the 2nd of September 2018. This major event takes place 50 years after the first "Valcamonica Symposium", marking 30 years since the foundation of IFRAO and the 30th anniversary of the Footsteps of Man Archaeological Cooperative Society. The congress will cover a range of topics relevant to rock art, archaeology, culture and society, from its first appearance to current forms. During five days, leading experts in the field, researchers along with young scholars and enthusiasts, will gather and present the latest results and studies on rock art, rupestrian archaeology and other relevant research fields on Palaeolithic and Post-palaeolithic art of all over the world. More than 30 sessions, workshops, key lectures, exhibitions, visits with live streaming of certain events are being planned. Excursions before and after the congress in Valcamonica and to others areas of the Alps are also being programmed. (read more)
III International Congress Santuarios: sanctuaries, culture, art, romarias, pilgrimages, landscape, people
Valcamonica (ITALIA), 8-12 July 2016
Valcamonica is one of those rare places in the world that narrates a long story rooted in spirituality. Its treasures include a rich collection of rock-art that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage. The might of Roman domination was followed by a complex sequence of events accompanying the conversion to Christianity in the Alps. Its legacy includes countless churches, chapels, shrines and cult places.. (read more)
Valcamonica Symposium
Culture grows thanks to exchanges. This is why the Centro Camuno, since its origins, has encouraged meetings and discussions among scholars and specialists in different disciplines
In 1968 the first Valcamonica Symposium was held. It was an international congress which would later have several editions and gathered in Valcamonica tens of Italian and foreign scholars to talk about art, religion and intellectual life expression of prehistoric and tribal man. The Valcamonica Symposia are an opportunity to share skills and knowledge in an interdisciplinary context: pre-history, archeology, anthropology, ethnology, history of the history of religions, psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophy, and linguistics. The Symposia are organized by the CCSP in collaboration with Italian and international organizations, for example the UNESCO, thus contributing to the knowledge and understanding of the world's archaeological heritage.
A number of side events enrich the activities of the Valcamonica Symposium: visits to the rock art parks of Valcamonica, work groups on specific subjects, experts meetings and operative committees.
Culture grows thanks to exchanges. This is why the Centro Camuno, since its origins, has encouraged meetings and discussions among scholars and specialists in different disciplines in the Valcamonica Symposium.
The 26th Valcamonica Symposium, from 9th to 12th September 2015, follows this same outlook in a renewed manner under the direction of a new scientific committee.
The title "Prospects on prehistoric art research: 50 years since the founding of the Centro Camuno" celebrates a long tradition of research in Valcamonica, opening up new perspectives for study and collaboration.
XXVII VCS, 40 years of UNESCO site “Rock Drawings in Valcamonica”,
Capo di Ponte 25 - 27 October 2019 (web page)
XXVI VCS, Prospects for the prehistoric art research 50 years since the founding of Centro Camuno,
Capo di Ponte 9 to 12 september 2015 (web page)
XXV VCS, Art as a source of history, Capo di Ponte, 20 to 26 September 2013 (web page)
XXIV VCS, Art and communication in pre-literate societies, Capo di Ponte 13 to 18 July 2011 (web page)
XXIII VCS, Making history of prehistory:
the role of rock art, Capo di Ponte, 28 ottobre - 2 November 2009 (web page)
XXII VCS, Rock art in the frame of the Cultural Heritage of Humankind, Darfo Boario Terme, 18 to 24 May 2007 (web page)
XXI VCS, New discoveries, new interpretations, new research methods, Darfo Boario Terme, 8 to 14 September 2004
XX VCS, Recent perspectives in the documentation and presentation of rock art, Tanum – Svezia, 23 to 26 October 2002
XIX VCS, Prehistoric and Tribal Art : Parameters and Guidelines for the Study of Rock Art, Tanum – Svezia, 22 to 27 September 2001
XVIII VCS, Prehistoric and Tribal Art : Conservation and Protection of messages: inventories, archives and records, Darfo Boario Terme, Lovere, Capo di Ponte, 9 to 13 November 2000
XVII VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Decifrare le immagini, Darfo Boario Terme, 21-26 settembre 1999
XVI VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Sciamanesimo e mito, Iseo e Sulzano, 24-29 settembre 1998
XV VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Grafismo e semiotica, Iseo, 25-30 settembre 1997
XIV VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Immagini, Simboli e Società, Capo di Ponte , 3-8 ottobre 1996
XIII VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Miti, Segni e Memorie, Darfo Boario Terme, 5-10 ottobre 1995
XII VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Arte rupestre ed archeologia, Boario Terme, 5-10 ottobre 1994
XI VCS, Arte Preistorica e Tribale: Simbolo e Mito, Temu, 6-11 ottobre 1993
X VCS, Arte Rupestre: l’importanza del luogo. Il sito, il messaggio, lo spirito, Montecampione, 16-21 ottobre 1992
IX VCS, Arte Rupestre: Vecchio e Nuovo Mondo, convergenze e divergenze, Capo di Ponte, 20-25 settembre 1991
VIII VCS, Arte rupestre: Il futuro della ricerca, Capo di Ponte, 25-30 settembre, 1990
VII VCS, Motivazioni e Radici dell’Arte, Lovere, 22-25 settembre,1989
VI VCS, Arte preistorica e primitiva, Lovere, 22-27 luglio, 1987
V VCS, Arte rupestre: nuovi orizzonti della ricerca, Breno 20-26 agosto 1984
IV VCS, Arte Rupestre e Museologia, Milano 29-31 ottobre 1982
III VCS, Prehistoric art and religions, Ponte di Legno, 27 luglio-4 agosto 1979
II VCS, Les religions de la prehistorie, Boario Terme, 18-23 settembre 1972 (download paper)
I VCS, Simposio Internazionale d’Arte Preistorica, Boario Terme, 23-28 settembre 1968 (download paper)
The CCSP organizes regularly conferences about the rock art study. These meetings are dedicated to researchers working in neighboring areas and urge the comparison of the methods of investigation and documentation and the formulation of hypotheses of interpretation.