| Abstract: |
This report is a brief survey and rock art recording of the Lewun Rock Art site in Shan State, Myanmar, which was recorded in March 2018. The 42m-long rock shelter is located on a hillside dirt road connecting overlooking a valley. Two phases of rock art can be observed: the first phase of red paintings can be found mostly in the middle of the shelter, containing human figures and animals. 23 paintings were identified in this main panel of red paintings, with 9 other red paintings found across the entire shelter. The depictions of people riding ‘horses’ and ‘buffaloes’ suggest that the paintings are not earlier than the Iron Age, approximately 500 BCE. The second, more recent phase of rock art is the numerous examples of white Pa’O writing and drawings, comprising of 25 distinct sub-panels. While this white layer can be considered graffiti, some of these writings have dates that go to the 19th and 20th century and provide a historical record of Pa’O occupation in the area in recent history. The superimposition of the white graffiti over the red paintings further confirm that the red rock art is at least 150 years old. This report contains an inventory of the red and white rock art observed during the 2018 survey and should be used as a baseline record for future work at the site.
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