Anyone can look for and record Scotland’s rock art! Please
There are probably hundreds of unrecorded prehistoric carvings across Scotland, even in built up areas. If you would like to search for undiscovered rock art, you will find information on how to do this on our Finding rock art page. Please note that rock art can be difficult to identify, and it is easy to confuse it with natural features on the rock surface so do please check very carefully. It is always worth making another visit in different light conditions to check if the features really do look like prehistoric carvings. You can learn more about how to identify rock art in our Recognising Rock Art guidance notes.
If you think you have found a new rock art panel, please get in contact with Historic Environment Scotland with the following information:
Description of the carved rock and how to find it
At least four photographs clearly showing (a) the carved rock and (b) its setting in the landscape.
Any other information you think will be useful
If you want to record rock art in detail, our guidance on this website will help you through each stage of our recording methods. Please read this guidance carefully, and contact us if you would like any more information. If you want to share your rock art records and make them publicly accessible, you will need to register as a Community Team (even if you are an individual), and attend one of our training sessions.
You can also add information and photographs to an existing rock art record using MyCanmore. This information will then be publicly accessible on Canmore, the National Record for the Historic Environment of Scotland.
Find out more about recording rock art
The Scotland's Rock Art Project trained and worked with Community Teams to build a consistent, publicly accessible database of prehistoric carvings using specific recording methods.
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.
