Relevant issues for the design of a protocol for the interdisciplinary study of rock art

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of interdisciplinary teams of researchers from the human and natural sciences have addressed the study and characterisation of materials in order to account for the manufacturing processes of objects and visual manifestations developed by social groups in the past. Our work is aimed to study the production of rock paintings in north-west Argentina as well as their processes of alteration or deterioration. Here, we discuss the most relevant issues to be considered for the design of a protocol for the interdisciplinary study of rock paintings in order to assure an accurate interpretation of the analytical results.