News

The Archaeological Park of Atlantic Rock Art (PAAR) in O Campo Lameiro will host the I International Conference on Atlantic Rock Art on 20 and 21 September. This initiative will bring together specialists in the world of petroglyphs from Ireland, Scotland, Portugal and Galicia. The conference is organised by the Department of Culture, Language and Youth of the Xunta de Galicia.

Atlantic Rock Art represents a shared heritage that connects Galicia, Portugal and the British Isles through common cultural and symbolic expressions from Prehistory. The aim of this initiative is to promote a space for cooperation between universities, museums, interpretation centres and specialised groups, with the objective of strengthening Galicia’s role as a key territory for the research, protection and dissemination of this type of rock art.

Programme and Featured Presentations

The conference will feature a series of workshops, talks and lectures given by internationally renowned experts.

Saturday, 20 September: Workshops and Seminars

Saturday’s session is focused on practical and field activities.

• Rock Art Restoration Workshop: Alejandro Javier Pujales, a conservation-restoration specialist in Archaeology, will address the research and application of methods for controlling lichens and mosses on petroglyphs.
• 3D Registration and Photogrammetry Workshop: The GEPN-AAT group from the University of Santiago de Compostela, comprising Alia Vázquez-Martínez, Miguel Carrero Pazos and Alexis Maldonado Ruiz, will present a photogrammetry project for the documentation of Campo Lameiro’s rock art.
• Guided Night Tour: The programme includes a minibus tour of the petroglyphs studied by Ramón Sobrino Buhigas and Sobrino Lorenzo in the municipalities of Campo Lameiro and Cerdedo-Cotobade. Additionally, there will be a special night tour of the PAAR’s petroglyphs.

Sunday, 21 September: Talks and Conferences

Sunday will be the day for lectures, with presentations on the latest research and the conservation of rock art.

• Xosé-Lois Armada (INCIPIT-CSIC) will talk about “Atlantic Connections during the Bronze Age”.
• Joana Valdez-Tullet (Durham University) will present a paper on the past, present and future of Atlantic rock art.
• Elizabeth Shee Twohig (University College Cork), an expert in Atlantic rock art and Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeology in Ireland, will discuss the continuity and transformations in Irish megalithic art.
• Fernando Carrera, former director of the Pontevedra School of Cultural Heritage Restoration, will share reflections on rock art conservation.
• Elena Cabrejas (INCIPIT-CSIC) will present the project “Laxe dos Bolos, the unknown colossus of Atlantic Rock Art”.
• Sofía Figueiredo-Persson (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa) will focus on cultural mediation through images and experiences.

The event will conclude with a round table that will allow for the identification of areas for cooperation and the strengthening of international networks for the documentation and conservation of rock heritage. There will also be a guided tour to get a closer look at the Archaeological Park of Atlantic Rock Art.

Sign up now!

Can you only make it on Saturday? Just Sunday? Do you want to come on both days? No problem!

Book your place for free by choosing the days you can attend. There are a limited number of places, so don’t delay in registering!