ROCKSHELTER DEVELOPMENT ON THE ARNHEM LAND PLATEAU (AUSTRALIA) AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR ROCK ART RESEARCH

While the range of factors affecting pigment preservation in rockshelters has been the subject of study, the degree to which the physical form (shape) of individual rockshelters affects the preservation of the rock art within remains largely unexplored. The Arnhem Land Plateau is well-known for its wealth of pigment rock art, some of which is reported to be amongst the longest-lasting (oldest) in Australia. To test whether the geomorphic form of a shelter influences pigment preservation, a qualitative and quantitative study of rockshelters within the quartzitic sandstones of the Arnhem Land Plateau was undertaken. The study concluded that the geomorphic form of a rockshelter plays only a minor role in the preservation of rock art and, by implication, the initial choice for rock art placement or its subsequent survival.