Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇺🇸 Arizona, Petrified Forest, United States
About
About Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South
Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South in Arizona, Petrified Forest, United States is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.0680N -109.7790E controls access to Arizona resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Arizona, Petrified Forest, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1981 survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South main structure
c. 1921
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1981–2011
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.0680° N · 109.7790° W · 227 m · 3 mapped features
Newspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
35.0688° N · 109.7781° WNewspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
35.0670° N · 109.7797° WNewspaper Rock Petrified Forest Panel South — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
35.0695° N · 109.7778° W