petroglyphn.
/ˈpɛtrə(ʊ)ɡlɪf/, U.S. /ˈpɛtrəˌɡlɪf/ Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology.
A rock carving, esp. a prehistoric one.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [noun] > a sculpture or carving > a (prehistoric) rock carving
petroglyph1854
1854 G. R. Gliddon in J. C. Nott & G. R. Gliddon Types of Mankind iii. iii. 686 The petroglyphs of these three dynasties,..are now preserved for posterity, so long as the pyramids of Geezeh shall endure.
1870 Athenæum 12 Feb. 233 In addition to these petroglyphs there are menhirs, cairns, and duns, while crannoges occur in most of the lochs.
1926 Bulletin 26 June 12/3 This theory was confirmed by the rude petroglyphs they passed, picture phrases chiselled in the rock.
1952 V. G. Childe New Light on Most Anc. East ii. 23 Petroglyphs, like microliths, attest hunting over many areas now uninhabitable.
1994 Sci. News 10 Sept. 162/2 Images of flute players with humped backs and often prominent phallic features called Kokopelli grace numerous petroglyphs and pictographs in the southwestern United States.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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