Ancient rock carving depicting a hunter and a dog found near Gingee

A rock carving depicting a hunter and a dog was found at Pennagar village near Gingee in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, during a field study by Tamil department professor Sudhakar and third-year students of Gingee Government Arts and Science College.

Details of the rock art

The carving is on a rock beside the road from Pennagar village to Karunguzhi. It measures about three feet high and one foot wide. It shows a human figure apparently going hunting with a knife-like weapon, with a dog nearby facing the person. Researchers say the scene may indicate that people took dogs with them while hunting.

Important Facts for Exams

• Engraving versus painting: Rock-art terminology distinguishes petroglyphs as engravings from petrographs or pictographs as paintings, though everyday usage sometimes treats the terms interchangeably.
• Dating rock art: Where carbonate crusts form beneath or over rock-art marks, uranium-series dating can establish minimum or maximum age limits for image-making.
• Identifying early dogs: Early dog and wolf remains can be hard to distinguish by shape alone; analysts combine skull and tooth measurements with ancient DNA and archaeological context.