What are pictographs?
Pictographs are rock art painted with pigments made from various minerals. The red pigment is derived from crushed iron oxide. The oxides were then added to water, or an organic binder. Many different organic agents could be used as a binder, such as eggs, blood, fat, or plant juice. This differs from petroglyphs, which is a type of rock art that has been drilled into or has punctured the rock wall. How was the paint applied? After the paint was made it would typically be appliced by finger painting. This is apparent, because the lines are finger-width. These pictographs are images which are located in Picture Gorge. They depict human, animal, and geometric designs. How are pictographs able to stand the test of time? The pigment, when freshly applied, is absorbed by the small pores of the rock, consequently staining the rock. When the water or the organic binder evaporates it leaves the iron oxide pigment, which becomes part of the rock. The pictograph then weathers away at the same ra
