Techné of Rock Engravings –the Timna Case Study

Abstract Traditionally, rock-engravings were studied through their visual characteristics. They have been analyzed with comparative and interpretative methodologies of iconography and iconology. However, there has been a recent shift towards identifying production processes, allowing reconstruction of operational characteristics through various methods. Nevertheless, the studies of the technological aspects focus on the operational and the mechanical, omitting the visuality of the outcome. No unified methodologies have been offered to both technological and visual perspectives. In the current paper we are using ArchCUT3-D software for computational analysis of 3-D data acquired from various rock-engravings located in Timna Park, southern Israel. We show how micro-morphological evidence, extracted from the engraved lines, can decode technical trends and variabilities in a technique’s particular implementation. Then, we conduct a focused examination of one group of engraved figures in order to establish a link between execution techniques and visual considerations. Based on our results and the following discussion, we suggest the term Techné to indicate the choice of technique that go beyond the instrumental or purely operative perspectives. We highlight the intentional choice, which design the visual rhetoric of the engraved marks and suggest cultural concepts that contrived the procedural processes.