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Conflict on the Frontier: San Rock Art, Spirituality, and Historical Narrative in the Free State Province, South Africa

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Rock Art and Sacred Landscapes

Part of the book series: One World Archaeology ((WORLDARCH,volume 8))

Abstract

A San rock art site near the town of Wepener (Free State Province, South Africa) is considered by local inhabitants to depict specific historical events of the nineteenth century. This chapter describes the paintings and—using ethnographic evidence—dispels romantic myths: the site is not a mere “narrative” of actual events but rather a manifestation of the cosmological belief systems of the San.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Jamie G. Hampson Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Jamie G. Hampson Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Jamie G. Hampson Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Archaeological Research Facility, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Donna L. Gillette

  2. Greer Services Archaeological Consultants, Casper, Wyoming, USA

    Mavis Greer

  3. Panamerican Consultants, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Michele Helene Hayward

  4. Social Sciences, University of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo León, Mexico

    William Breen Murray

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Hampson, J.G. (2014). Conflict on the Frontier: San Rock Art, Spirituality, and Historical Narrative in the Free State Province, South Africa. In: Gillette, D., Greer, M., Helene Hayward, M., Breen Murray, W. (eds) Rock Art and Sacred Landscapes. One World Archaeology, vol 8. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8406-6_7

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