ABSTRACT
The Archaeology of Shamanism: Beyond Rock Art', it has been cited under that name as 'forthcoming' in several of author publications that have appeared since that time. In practice, interpretive chains such as this are common in the archaeological application of the 'shamanic frame' of spiritual belief and practice. Numerous examples may be found in the rock art research undertaken in southern Africa and cited above, with detailed interplay between archaeological data and written ethnography. An acceptance of a shamanic label, in full awareness of its artificial, anthropological character, is not to ignore the differences between the various 'shamanic' cultures of the north, or to imply that shamanism exists in isolation. Of course, It need to exercise caution in deciding whether it is appropriate to use its descriptive terminology in the interpretations of specific ancient thought- worlds.
