Rock art recording uses several different techniques to gather information about the carvings, the rocks that they are carved on, and their setting within the landscape.
During the Scotland's Rock Art Project (ScRAP) we trained and working with twelve Community Teams to create detailed records of rock art from across Scotland. Our recording method included a number of steps, and we used the same approach throughout the project. The records are publicly accessible on this website, on the National Record of the Historic Environment of Scotland (Canmore) and on regional Historic Environment Records. We hope these records will be useful to interested members of the public, heritage professionals, students, and researchers investigating prehistoric rock art in detail. If you are not familiar with rock art, our Terminology section may be useful.
We hope that others will use our recording method to continue building a consistent database for Scotland's Rock Art. You can find a summary of how to do this in our guidance one Rock Art Recording and Sharing Data with Canmore.
If you want to record rock art for your own interest or as part of a project, you might also find the information in the following sections of this website useful:
For more detailed guidance, in this section you will find information on how to:
Creating detailed, digital records of Scotland's rock art is essential for better understanding, sustainability, and public awareness. You can find out about our recording methods in this section!
Finding rock art is very rewarding, but often quite difficult! In this section we offer a few tips that may help you find those 'hidden' panels.
Before going out and looking for rock art, there are some important things that you should be aware of. You will also need to know what equipment to use. You can find out all about it here!
Follow these simple steps to prepare for a fantastic day out doing fieldwork and recording rock art. Don't forget your wellingtons and waterproofs!
Like any other type of archaeological fieldwork, rock art recording uses specific methods and techniques. Learn how to record rock art, and find out what types of information you should be documenting.
Fieldwork is only one part of the method for recording rock art. In this section you can read about how to process information captured in the field, and how to build 3D models of the carved rocks.
Once you have processed all the information collected in the field, your photographs, and your 3D models, you can upload it to Canmore. Find out how in this section.