An investigation into the possible motivations for the engraving of the pet
roglyphs in the Fontainebleau region in central France. The author analyses
the most common motives and compares them with petroglyphs in Nevada and C
alifornia, USA. As in the case of the North American examples, the French r
ock art symbols might also have been trance-induced and were perhaps connec
ted with initiation-rites of Mesolithic cultures.