Prehistoric North America

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 August 2023

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What could the prehistoric artists of North America have in common with the graffiti artists of today? Picked into the rocks of southwestern Arizona, a couple hour drive from Tucson, are marks of the Patayan and Hohokam traditions. The petroglyphs are an insight into these civilisations, their religions and their lives.

Aaron Wright is a Preservation Archaeologist whose research is currently focused on the Hohokam and Patayan traditions. He joined Don to explore what this rock art has in common with sites across North America, and what makes it different.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Siobhan Dale. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Once upon a time in medieval England, there was a young king who would do just about anything for his favorite night.
0:06.5	They were inseparable.
0:08.5	With love at the front of a king's mind, instead of war or ambition, you'd think the kingdom would be in for a golden
0:15.0	era of peace. But England is headed for the most catastrophic collapse seen for hundreds of
0:20.4	years. The saga continues, Join me Dan Jones on This is History, a Dynasty to
0:26.4	Die for. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Swirling lines, lines, geometric shapes, figures, circles, zigzags.
0:47.1	Follow them with your fingers.
0:48.8	Feel how they are cut into the hard, hot rocks of the Arizona desert.
0:54.0	Nearly a thousand years ago, Native peoples, the Ho-Hocum and the battalion,
0:59.0	used hand-made chisels and hammerstones to chip away rock surfaces, exposing paler material beneath.
1:06.0	Looking closely at these designs, feeling them with your fingertips.
1:11.0	Their detailed tooling is evident, echoed in the texture of the patterns.
1:15.0	But why? Why did they carve them? What did they signify?
1:20.0	And how were these symbols different from other rock imagery elsewhere in the United States and in the world? This is American History Hit.
1:44.0	Thanks for taking the time.
1:45.0	I'm Don Wildman, glad you're listening.
1:47.0	All those who enjoy a good long hike in the wilderness,
1:50.0	particularly in sunny arid lands out west with plenty of rocky outcroppings,
1:55.0	well from time to time likely stumble upon evidence of previous civilizations drawn onto or into rock surfaces.
2:02.8	Renderings, hundreds, if not a thousand years old
2:05.7	that stop you in your tracks to stare in wonder,
2:09.2	trying to decipher the mystery and motivation behind
	...

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