Rock art and oral tradition in the Tea valley: externalising the memory of archaeological heritage

Abstract

Archaeological research into open-air engravings in Galicia began at the beginning of the 20th century, with contributions that prioritised the quantification and cataloguing of these manifestations. The materiality of the archaeological elements was the focus of the studies, but what about the intangible heritage fixed on these cultural assets? How are these rock representations known in their environment?
The proposal presented here attempts to address an ethnoarchaeological approach –a line that is scarcely developed in Galicia– for the petroglyphs of the Tea valley (Pontevedra, Galicia). The aim is to focus on the oral tradition, mainly the narratives and toponymy that have settled on these places with rock art, as a means of shaping the symbolic and cultural landscape, and also as a means of socialisation of archaeological heritage. Based on a documentary and bibliographic emptying focused on our area of action, the results of a study of monuments that are static in space, but dynamically reinterpreted over the course of centuries and societies, are presented.
The main objective of this work is to contribute to the study and protection of rock art, as well as related intangible heritage, with the premise that active collaboration with local communities and the integration of a multivocal approach allows the promotion of their cultural heritage as a whole.