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This page contains a discussion of the rock art found in the Moab area of Utah, along the Potash Road, in the Colorado Riverway. All photographs are from our our personal collection. If you'd like to see more rock art from this location, or if you'd like to see higher resolution or larger images, send us an e-mail message and we'll see what we can do. |
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| Rock Art |
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| Jughandle Arch |
Jughandle Arch is quite a ways west along Potash Road, which follows the north bank of the Colorado River. A dirt road junctions near this location, and there is ample parking in that area. The petroglyphs are located near the base of the arch, on its west side. They are not visible from below, and one must climb to get a good view. There is a lone anthropomorph set back just below and to the right of the main panel.
This is a small panel, with only a few figures. Three of the figures are concentric circles, and with this arrangement, one wonders if perhaps a beam of sun cuts through the arch, or a distinct shadow angles across one or more of these circles to indicate the changing of the seasons.
| Other rock art sites near Jughandle Arch: |
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| Photo Gallery |
All of these photos have been resized and manipulated in Photoshop to give the best representation of the petroglyph or pictograph image. Some color distortion is inevitable. If you would like to see higher quality versions of these shots, the original image, or if you would like to use these images for any purpose, please contact us and we would be glad to help if we can. Select an image to see a full sized version.
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| Anthropomorphs |
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This petroglyph is an anthropomorph that appears to be a cross between Barrier Canyon and Fremont styles. It has the bucket head, broad shoulders, and tapered torso of those styles, yet it has slender arms and legs, with feet. It also has horns or feathers rising from the head. |
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This is the lone figure found on a small panel to the right and slightly below the larger main panel. It appears to be an anthropomorph of the Fremont or Barrier Canyon style, but what appears to be a head is very small. Perhaps it is something other than an anthropomorph. There are also interior lines, similar to those found with many Barrier Canyon figures. |
| Geometric Figures and Patterns |
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This part of the main panel shows a plus sign and short segment of a pattern found on some blankets and the sides of pottery. |
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Here we see two of the three concentric circles, which dominate the main panel. There is also what appears to be a random group of curved lines in the lower left. Some believe that this type of figure represents a map. |
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This is the third concentric circle, with various side objects. |
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This grouping shows what may be a tall anthropomorph with a strange cluster of circles for a head. But perhaps this is some sort of map. The other lines on this part of the panel also seem to wander, and may also represent maps of the area. |
| Panels |
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On this segment of the main panel we see a small anthropomorph in the lower right corner, with arms, legs, and a feather above the head. There also appears to be a long snake across the bottom, with a large object about half way down its length. Is this a meal making its way through its digestive system, or is this the head of a second snake following the first snake? There is also a prominent circle with an object coming out of its top that resembles a Fremont or Barrier Canyon style anthropomorph. Could the circle represent the womb of a female? Above this figure is another squiggly line with a forked end. Does this represent another snake, or is this something other? |
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This view shows the entire main panel, both the upper and lower segments. |
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This is a close up of the main portion of the main panel. |
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This is a close up of one of the circles, with the various objects arrayed around it. |
| Zoomorphs |
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This is a close up of the two snakes and the small anthropomorph. |
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