Who made Arkansas rock art?

A depiction of a Native American artist.

Most rock art in Arkansas was made by pre-Columbian American Indians (that is, by Indians who were living here before the arrival of Europeans). The first people arrived here about 12,500 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Their descendants, who made the rock art we can still observe today, may have been the ancestors of the historic Caddo, Osage, Quapaw, Tunica, and Wichita tribes who were here when the first Europeans arrived. Archeologists believe that most Arkansas rock art was produced during the Mississippian era (A.D. 900-1541).

A few rock art sites contain inscriptions that we believe were made by European explorers. Historic and modern individuals are responsible for some rock art (including graffiti).

A handful of pseudo-scholars believe that rock art is the work of "visiting aliens" or "lost Egyptians." Others insist that treasure maps or maps of lost continents are depicted. There is actually no solid evidence to support these claims, and we need to remember that outlandish interpretations seldom turn out to be as interesting as the conclusions produced by careful scholarship. We might be tempted to ignore such fringe interpretations, or write them off as silly but harmless speculations by untrained thinkers, but these strange theories actually perpetuate racism and the denial of American Indian and other historical legacies. It is important to approach the study of rock art from its legitimate historical and cultural context.

3. How are petroglyphs made?