To where do the horses run? A dialogue between signs and matter in the rock carvings of Fornelos (Viana do Castelo, North-western Portugal)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the dialogue that exists between the morphology of granite outcrops, its geoforms and the motifs engraved or inscribed in them. It is assumed that the outcrops were not an inert material or a simple surface for carvings but instead acting agents that contributed to the meaning of these places. One case study, which clearly illustrates these assumptions, is Fornelos, in the parish of Carreço (Viana do Castelo), located in the North-west of Portugal, where, in different panels, various equines, horsemen, a dog or a loop and an anthropomorph were engraved. The space chosen for the carving of these signs, the orientation of the motifs, the topography of the outcrop and its coloration create an impressive scenic effect for the audience, while at the same time it seems to tell a real or a mythical narrative. Here, horses and horsemen seem to have travelled a certain path - narrowed, poorly lighted, and limited – from where only a few would return, probably a rite of passage of the Late Bronze Age or Iron Age inhabitants.