THE CONSERVATION OF ROCK ENGRAVINGS AND ROCK-PAINTINGS - REMOVALS TO MUSEUMS OR SELECTED EXHIBITIONS IN THE FIELD

San rock paintings and engravings have been removed both for storage i n, and exhibition at, South African and European museums over the last century. Those who removed the paintings and engravings believed that this would protect them from natural deterioration and vandalism. Thi s article considers, first, practical and ethical problems associated with such removals and then outlines an alternative strategy based on conservation in the field. My contention is that interpretive presenta tions in the field, and the control of both the numbers and the behavi our of visitors, may be preferable conservation strategies, especially in view of the rapid social change South Africa is undergoing.