How to date and interpret
In Mt. Bego region we can find prehistoric and historic engravings.
We can also find pecked engravings and "linear engravings". Pecked engravings are mostly prehistoric, "linear engravings" (easily made by a knife or metal point: please don't do this!)
mostly historic.
The main typologies of pecked prehistoric engravings are three: horned figures (80% are cows), weapons (7.5% are daggers and halberds), grid figures (12.5% are square grids and "topographic" figures). It's common opinion that that we must date prehistoric figures to the ancient Bronze Age (1800-1500 b.C.). We can recognize the shapes of many Bronze Age daggers and halberds engraved on the rocks.
But also we can find a few Copper Age axes, while most of the "topographic" engravings must be dated to the first Chalcolithic period or to the late Neolithic, as demonstrated by a comparison with the identical figures of Valcamonica Roman and Greek inscriptions have been engraved with a scratched (linear engravings) technique, and the same for medieval and modern ones. So the prehistoric period of Mt. Bego's pecked engravings range from the late Neolithic to the Ancient Bronze Age, excluding the Iron Age, which is represented, however, by most of the engravings in Valcamonica.
From this we may guess that because the climate was colder during the Iron Age, people were not able to make engravings at the higher, much colder altitudes of Mt. Bego.
Regarding the themes of the engravings, we can easily distinguish between ground-related figures (topographic figures, cows, ploughing scenes) and war-related figures (weapons as daggers and halberds).
Ground-related figures seem to be the older ones, often superimposed by daggers. There was perhaps the influence of pastoral activity, but there was also perhaps a ritual intention in engraving a figure for cultural evidence or to bring good luck.
- A lot of thanks to Sassy Turchi, U.S.A. for English editing! -
Books
BICKNELL C., 1913. Guide to Prehistoric Rock Engravings of the Italian Maritime Alps
DE LUMLEY H., 1995. Le grandiose et le sacré, Edisud, Aix en Provence