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Theshamanic-ecstatichypothesisfortheAlpinerockartofValcomonica
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deerinValcamonica(NaquaneRock14,Fig.6;Cemmo1,Chalcolithic;Foppedi
NadroRock26,Fig.5,BronzeAge,NaquaneRock57,Fig.4,IronAge)andthe
associationbetweendeerandbusts/warriors/prayingfigurescouldberelevant
tothissymboliccontext.Moreover,thereisthelargedepictionofabiganthro-
pomorphicfigurewearingdeerantlersthatmaybeconsideredtobetheCeltic
godKernunnos(NaquaneRock70,MiddleIronAge,Fig.3).
Horses
Horsesoftensharewiththedeerthesamesymbolicmeaninganditisoften
perceivedasavehicleforsoultravelbySiberianshamans.Therearemanyen-
gravedimagesofhorsesinValcamonicaandmanyhorseriders;someridersare
evenstandinguprightandkeepingtheirbalanceonthehorse’sback.AtCam-
panine(Rock49)wasengravedtheimageofatwo-headedhorsewhichdatesto
theMiddleIronAge.
Dogs
Dogsoftenhaveconnectionstoshamanismaswellastotheother-world,
whichisfoundinClassicalandmiddle-Europeanmyths.InValcamonicamany
dogsaredepictednearwarriors(Fig.17),prayinghumansandotherfigures
(perhapsdeadpersons?).Therearedogsinvolvedinceremoniesandcultswith
prayingmen(FoppediNadroRock27)andinasimilarsceneadog’sheadisused
atFoppediNadroRock35.AtPiàd’Ort(Rock39)threedogswererepresented
withdoublesoftheirfiguresasiftheyweremirrored;perhaps,tomakevisible
the‘doublesymbolicdimension’oftheanimal.
Birds
Birdsaresymbolsofthesoulandtraditionalanimalspiritguidesduringthe
soul’stravels.Birdsareconstantlyimbuedwithsacredmeaningsthroughoutthe
world.Theyarefrequentlyrepresentedinrockart(Colotto1997)andatValc-
monicaoftenlinkedwithhumanfigures(prayingpersonsandwarriors),grana-
ry-hutsandlabyrinths,thesymbolsoftheinitiatoryjourney(seeforexample
NaquaneRock1,CampanineRock1,FoppediNadroRock60).Manyaquatic
birdswereengravedatCampanineduringtheMiddleIronAge(Sansoni,Gavaldo
1998,2009,Fig.15)andsomeevocativescenesfeaturehumanfiguresseeming
toberidingonbirds(Rock49,Fig.13),standingonthebackofabird(Rock50,
Fig.18andRock11,Fig.11)orholdingabirdbyitstail(Rock50,Fig.16).The
mostinterestingimageistheengravingofawarrior,wearingacrestedhelmet,
aswordandmantel,whoisstandingontwobirds(Rock62,Fig.12).Another
warriorridinganaquaticbirdisalsofoundatCorendelValento(Fossati1994,
Fig.14).Thesefiguresarecomparabletothedepictionsofsmallboatsdecorated
