Abstract

Author:
Yasmani Ceballos-Izquierdo, Johanset Orihuela, Luis Olmo Jas, Carlos R.Borges-Sellén, Alberto F. Arano-Ruiz, Jorge Garcell-Dominguez, Robert G.Bednarik, translated by Yanrong Wu, Xiaorong Huang, Bo Xiao

Doi: 10.7508/jra.01.2025.75.93

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Cupules are a form of rock art found in most parts of the world, including the Caribbean islands. Those of Cuba have rarely been considered a distinctive phenomenon. This article attempts to provide a generic summary of Cuban cupules and similar but larger mortar rocks, including a brief history of their discovery. Previously offered interpretations are reviewed, and descriptions of the thirty-four sites of their occurrence are presented. Small cupules tend to be steep-walled and probably involved indirect percussion or drilling, whereas large cupules suggest creation by direct percussion. Frequently groups of small cupules occur together with mortars on portable rock slabs but are more recent than the mortars. This consistency seems to indicate a quite specific cultural behaviour. Nevertheless, the production traces of the cupules are generally consistent with cupules on relatively soft rock elsewhere on Earth.

凹穴岩画作为一种岩画类型在世界大部分地区均有发现，其中也包括加勒比群岛。然而古巴的凹穴岩画很少被视为一种独特的文化现象。本文尝试对古巴凹穴岩画以及与其类似但更大的石臼进行系统性综述，同时也包括其发现简史。在梳理既有阐释理论的基础上，本文重点描述了34处遗址的空间分布特征。研究表明：小型凹穴岩画多呈现陡直壁缘，推测其采用间接打击法或钻孔技术制成；大型凹穴岩画则可能由直接打击法制成。便携式石板上经常出现小型凹穴岩画群与石臼共存的现象，但其年代晚于石臼。这种规律性可能指向特定的文化行为模式。尽管古巴凹穴岩画的制作痕迹总体上与全球其他相对较软岩石上的同类遗存特征相符，但其独特性仍需深入探讨。

KEYWORDS
Cupule – Petroglyph – Percussion method – Portable mortar – Cuba
凹穴岩画，岩刻画，打击法，便携式石臼，古巴