A review of Philippine rock art and its regional context

Abstract

This paper provides a complete overview of all the known rock art sites to demonstrate the variation in motifs and techniques used in the Philippines, outline the indigenous associations, and highlight issues for conservation. In addition, new findings are introduced that include a second rock art site in Alab and previously unnoticed styles of rock art in Peñablanca. In recent years, the study of Philippine rock art has also yielded valuable contributions for archaeology both in methods and theory. Recording the rock art in challenging contexts necessitated the development of several pioneering digital methods, some low‐cost, to see obfuscated rock art and expedite inventories that can be used worldwide. After reviewing the rock art in the Philippines, it is clear that the much‐debated Austronesian rock art theories do not apply to these sites. A comparison of similar motifs and their contexts found in Southeast Asia and Micronesia is a starting point for developing new rock art theories in the region.

Rock art and frontier conflict in Southeast Asia: Insights from direct radiocarbon ages for the large human figures of Gua Sireh, Sarawak

“…The radiocarbon age determinations reported here sit neatly alongside other recently published numeric ages for the distinctive black drawings associated with the migration of Austronesian people across Southeast Asia [3,5,[7][8][9][10][11]26,38]. The Gua Sireh large human figures were produced between AD 1670 to AD 1830 at a time of frontier conflict, amid frequent territorial violence endured by Bidayuh and other displaced Land Dayaks.…”

“…The success of three of the four radiocarbon targets we analyzed in this pilot investigation highlights the utility of 14 C dating for constraining the ages of black-drawn rock art across Southeast Asia. In conjunction with detailed recording work and regional rock art analyses taking place [7,[9][10][11]39,40,52,104], additional radiocarbon dating of black drawn rock art is poised to provide further insights into the Austronesian/Malay Diasporas, as well as the complexity of human history at Gua Sireh and broader Southeast Asia.…”

“…Taking a multifaceted approach to understanding two large anthropomorphic figures at Gua Sireh, we focused on recent 'Austronesian style' drawings [5,[7][8][9][10][11]. Used here, Austronesian denotes an association with the Neolithic communities who colonized Southeast Asia more than 2,500 years ago [12].…”