Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies is a research topic within Archeology. Science Explorer counts 6.7k research works in it since 1950. 34.3% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers encompasses a wide range of topics related to archaeological research in Southern Africa, including the study of rock art, cultural landscapes, the San people, indigenous knowledge, heritage management, social complexity, and the Iron Age. It explores the historical and cultural significance of the region and its inhabitants, shedding light on various aspects of pre-colonial societies and their material culture.
- Southern Africa
- Archaeology
- Rock Art
- Cultural Landscape
- San People
- Iron Age
- Indigenous Knowledge
- Heritage Management
- Social Complexity
- Ethnographic Context
- Research works
- 6.7k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 2.3k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 34.3% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +21% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research?
By volume, the United States and South Africa publish the most (245 and 180 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 245 works
- 2 South Africa 180 works
- 3 United Kingdom 122 works
- 4 France 98 works
- 5 Australia 70 works
- 6 Germany 43 works
- 7 Canada 34 works
- 8 China 33 works
- 9 Spain 33 works
- 10 Russia 28 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research?
By volume in 2022–2025, University of the Witwatersrand publishes the most Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research, followed by University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 University of the WitwatersrandSouth Africa 35 works
- 2 University of JohannesburgSouth Africa 25 works
- 3 University of PretoriaSouth Africa 15 works
- 4 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 15 works
- 5 University of Cape TownSouth Africa 13 works
- 6 Department of ArchaeologySri Lanka 13 works
- 7 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 13 works
- 8 Nelson Mandela UniversitySouth Africa 11 works
- 9 Stellenbosch UniversitySouth Africa 9 works
- 10 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 9 works
Who are the leading researchers in Archaeology and Rock Art Studies?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Archaeology and Rock Art Studies include Christopher Bronk Ramsey.
- 1 Christopher Bronk Ramsey United Kingdom 2.4k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research done?
The largest centres of Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research in 2022–2025 are Johannesburg (South Africa), Pretoria (South Africa), Paris (France) and Oxford (United Kingdom). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Johannesburg South Africa 60 works
- 2 Pretoria South Africa 35 works
- 3 Paris France 34 works
- 4 Oxford United Kingdom 23 works
- 5 London United Kingdom 21 works
- 6 Washington D.C. United States 14 works
- 7 Toulouse France 14 works
- 8 Rondebosch South Africa 13 works
- 9 Melbourne Australia 13 works
- 10 Colombo Sri Lanka 13 works
Where it is the local speciality
- JohannesburgZA · 60.5 works42×
- PretoriaZA · 34.5 works24×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Archaeology and Rock Art Studies than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Archaeology and Rock Art Studies?
Among universities, judged by research, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of the WitwatersrandSouth Africa | 77.1 | 40.1% | 71.8× | 35 | +32.7% |
| 2 | University of JohannesburgSouth Africa | 69.0 | 29.0% | 34.0× | 25 | +76.9% |
| 3 | University of PretoriaSouth Africa | 63.1 | 26.0% | 30.6× | 15 | +121.4% |
| 4 | University of Cape TownSouth Africa | 59.5 | 35.6% | 35.2× | 13 | -1.2% |
| 5 | University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom | 53.4 | 53.0% | 6.7× | 8 | +26.6% |
| 6 | University of OxfordUnited Kingdom | 50.8 | 33.6% | 8.7× | 13 | -20.0% |
| 7 | University of South AfricaSouth Africa | 49.8 | 20.8% | 28.7× | 15 | +50.4% |
| 8 | Nelson Mandela UniversitySouth Africa | 48.9 | 19.2% | 90.1× | 11 | +81.6% |
| 9 | Stellenbosch UniversitySouth Africa | 41.7 | 9.5% | 21.5× | 10 | +74.9% |
| 10 | North-West UniversitySouth Africa | 35.7 | 7.4% | 26.3× | 9 | +47.1% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Archaeology and Rock Art Studies research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 21% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Archaeology and Rock Art Studies.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.