Pleistocene Rock Art in Australia

The occurrence of Pleistocene rock art in Australia is reviewed against the background of historical developments in the age estimation of rock art. Despite errors in interpreting data and the continuing paucity of credibly dated examples, it is apparent that most rock art of the earliest phase has survived as petroglyphs, which is consistent with the rest of the world. The author estimates that a large proportion of Australian petroglyphs are of the Pleistocene, and he points out that this corpus relates exclusively to Mode 3 (Middle Palaeolithic) technological traditions. It therefore follows that, contrary to conventional notions, which see palaeoart traditions commencing with the Aurignacian, there is actually far more surviving "Middle Palaeolithic" rock art in the world than there is "Upper Palaeolithic." The Pleistocene rock art of Australia is very similar to the Middle Palaeolithic or Middle Stone Age petroglyphs of other continents. [Australia, Pleistocene, rock art, palaeoart, petroglyphs]