The Ewaninga Conservation Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the Northern Territory of Australia consisting of an area of low sand dunes, rocky outcrops and a claypan about south of

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

. It is significant because of a large number of

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

rock carvings.

Description and history

The conservation reserve was gazetted on 20 November 1996. The claypan is a slightly concave surface approximately 100m across. It retains water after even light rain, thus attracting many birds and animals. The claypan and surrounding outcrops are also a significant

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

site. The conservation reserve contains many

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

abraded and pecked

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...

s that provide an outstanding example of central Australian

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

. The main feature of the area is a set of about 1000

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

, distributed among the rock outcrops to the south and south-east of the claypan. Most of the petroglyphs are non-representational, consisting of circles, lines and other geometric motifs, though there are some examples of animal tracks. The motifs have been compared with those found elsewhere in Central Australia and Tasmania.(logon to

JSTOR JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...

required for access) Aspects of the petroglyphs such as their motifs and degree of

weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement), ...

suggest an age as great as 30000 years, although a more precise age is unknown. Flood describes the petroglyphs as Panaramitee-style, which, based on dating of other Paranamitee sites, could give a date as early as 40000 years ago. An Indigenous land use agreement was signed by the Central Land Council and the Northern Territory Government on 30 November 2005 for the purpose of granting the conservation reserve as Aboriginal land under the '' Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976''. The conservation reserve is considered a significant link to the activities of the early

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

people of the region. Permission to access the site has been granted by the Arrente custodians. In December 2004, laser-scanned 3D images of the petroglyphs were included in the exhibition "Extremes – Survival in the Great Deserts of the Southern Hemisphere" by the National Museum of Australia.Extremes - Deserts of Australia: The Red Centre
an
Ancient Art Preserved by Modern Technology

References

* * {{Protected areas of the Northern Territory, state=collapsed Rock art in Australia Conservation reserves in the Northern Territory 1970 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1970

Description and history

See also

References