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The death of a pterodactyl

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2015

Jean-Loïc Le Quellec ,
Paul Bahn  and
Marvin Rowe
Jean-Loïc Le Quellec
Affiliation:
Institut des Mondes Africains (IMAF), Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Brenessard, St-Benoist-sur-Mer 85540, France (Email: jllq@rupestre.on-rev.com)
Paul Bahn
Affiliation:
428 Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 6QP, UK (Email: pgbahn@anlabyrd.karoo.co.uk)
Marvin Rowe
Affiliation:
Office of Archaeological Studies, 7 Old Cochiti Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507, USA (Email: marvinrowe@gmail.com)
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Abstract

The pictograph discovered at Black Dragon Canyon, Utah, in the late 1920s, is a classic example of the Barrier Canyon style, dating probably to AD 1–1100. Creationists, however, have argued, from the incomplete preservation of the motifs, that it depicts a winged monster or pterosaur. A new study using portable X-ray fluorescence refutes this ill-founded interpretation and reveals a scene characteristic of Barrier Canyon style, featuring an anthropomorphic figure. By removing interpretational bias, the new technology finally lays to rest the Black Dragon Canyon pterosaur.

Keywords

UtahBlack Dragon Canyonfirst millennium ADBarrier Canyon styleX-ray fluorescence
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 89 , Issue 346 , August 2015 , pp. 872 - 884
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2015 

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