Bedolina: Map or Tridimensional Model?

This article proposes a semiotic approach to interpreting the Valcamonica rock maps located in northern Italy, taking Bedolina Rock n. 1 as an example. Specifically, it uses cartographic semiosis, a theory formalized in Italy over the last decades, to suggest that prehistoric engravings are not mere representations of territory but also symbolic markers that record the relationship between the Camuni, an ancient Italian people, and their mountain life environment. After defining the specific features of cartographic representation, this study analyzes the map by dwelling on the shape of the rock on which it is engraved. It submits that the shape itself is an integral part of the message, because it reproduces mountain isomorphism.