The Meeting of the Tracks: Rock art in Ancient Wales

Relatively few examples of ancient rock art exist in Wales in comparison to other parts of Britain and northern France for example. This paucity allows some of the main examples to be discussed in some detail in books such as this. Here, John Sharkey looks at the megalithic art at Barclodiad y Gawres and Bryn Celli Ddu on Yns Mon, cupmarks on dolmens or portable stones, and figure carvings on the Llywel and Blaenawen stones. He begins by examining the work of antiquarians from the late 17th to the 19th century in recording and interpreting the art, followed by a interpretative and contextual tour of many examples. Here the art is interpreted in terms of memory, emotion, meaning and the experiences of those creating the art, rather than taking a more literal approach to analysing their purpose and design.