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When was the White Shaman mural painted?

Asked 28 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Three answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

Why it matters

The only direct dates for this mural are four early plasma-oxidation measurements of about 1460 to 2420 radiocarbon years BP, which the laboratory that now dates Lower Pecos paint has judged unusable; the 2025 dating of twelve other murals did not sample it⁠[1]⁠[2]. Its age sets how far back any reading of it reaches.

Answers 3

Evidence: 2 for, 2 against
Still possible
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible

What would settle it

  1. Ask Shumla whether White Shaman paint has been sampled under the post-2021 protocol since the 2025 study, and publish any dates with their controls and oxalate brackets.
  2. Read Rowe 2004 (Rock Art Research 21(2)) and Boyd 2016 for which four figures were sampled and how, and check the 2025 supplementary table S1 for any White Shaman sample.

History

  1. Tyer: the four dates spread over about 960 radiocarbon years for a single paintingAgainst: About 2,000 years ago, late in the Pecos River style
  2. Steelman et al.: every legacy Lower Pecos paint date is judged problematicAgainst: About 2,000 years ago, late in the Pecos River style
  3. Steelman et al.: four early paint dates from the mural, 1460 to 2420 radiocarbon years BPFor: About 2,000 years ago, late in the Pecos River style
  4. National Park Service: four early paint dates from the mural, 1460 to 2420 radiocarbon years BPFor: About 2,000 years ago, late in the Pecos River style
  5. Steelman et al.: the legacy dates are set aside and the mural has not been re-datedFor: Undated within the style's span of about 5,700 to 1,000 years ago
  6. Steelman et al.: the style was still being painted about 2,000 years agoFor: About 2,000 years ago, late in the Pecos River style
  7. Steelman et al.: the legacy dates are set aside and the mural has not been re-datedFor: Undated within the style's span of about 5,700 to 1,000 years ago
  8. Session 1: raised the question, proposed two answers and found four results bearing on its answers
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