archaeography

The aspen carvings of the Sierra Nevada can be seen as both historical documents and artifacts. These carvings were made by Basque shepherds. The practice began in the mid-19th century and continued into the 1950s. The earliest carvings are gone, now the oldest ones remaining are from the late 1800s, and these are dissappearing fast.
It is important to note that the original context of the carvings was extremely private. They were meant to be seen by other shepherds, and not expected to be of interest to anyone else.