Thunder and Herds: Rock Art of the High Plains

This volume is the first summary and synthesis of the rock art of the American High Plains, from Archaic times to the historic period. Even more, it presents an engaging combination of Plains archaeology, rock art sites, and holistic archaeological research. This refreshing approach to rock art studies reminds us that archaeologists glean information from the whole site and everything that may have occurred there, rather than simply focusing on the images on stone. Clues to understanding rock art can be found in other images, in associated artifacts, and in ethnographic analogy. Archaeologists are shown how rock art integrates with other materials available for study. With each page, the reader will be engaged in a compelling, and comprehensive story that focuses equally on the art and the archaeology of the prehistoric plains.

Lawrence Loendorf is an anthropologist and archaeologist whose research focuses on the North American intermountain west, ethnography, traditional cultural properties, and rock art. He currently directs a project to document the petroglyph sites on the hogback at the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeastern Colorado. Recent books include: Ancient Visions: Petroglyphs and Pictographs of the Wind River and Bighorn Country, Wyoming and Montana. University of Utah Press (with Julie Francis); Restoring a Presence: American Indians and Yellowstone National Park. University of Oklahoma Press (with Peter Nabokov); and Mountain Spirit: The Sheep Eater Indians of Yellowstone. University of Utah Press (with Nancy Medaris Stone).