The Serpent and the Sacred Fire: Fertility Images in Southwest Rock Art

by Dennis Slifer

The Southwest holds a treasure trove of prehistoric rock art, the fascinating images of petroglyphs and pictographs spanning thousands of years of Indian culture. Fertility has been identified as one of the most obvious and persistent themes in rock art, the record resplendent with symbols of birth, death, and procreation. Three-time rock art author Dennis Slifer takes a wide and deep look at symbols of fertility and fecundity, meticulously documenting drawings made by prehistoric cultures and the historical tribes of today's greater Southwest, and comparing the symbols with those fertility symbols found in rock art sites around the world.

Hardcover

First published October 23, 2000

About the author

Dennis Slifer, author of Rock Art Images of Northern New Mexico, is a writer, photographer, and guide who, for nearly thirty years, has explored the Southwest with rock art as his focus. He is the author of several books about rock art. Slifer currently lives in Virginia.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on subject, interesting and easy to read for individuals without extensive knowledge on the subject.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a rock art junkie :) so I have to read this! So far well worth reading the tiny print on huge pages.

[Robert Moore]

this is a wonderful book ~ have already started using the imagery in my painting