Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 08/21/1990
NRHP Listing Date 02/15/1991
NRHP Reference Number 91000021
Adorning a rugged rockface, these pictographs in Nottoway County belong to a class of archaeological resources whose rarity makes them significant at the national level. The Little Mountain Pictograph Site features a single human hand print, a possible “sun glyph,” and a solitary “turkey foot.” All are painted in red ocher and probably date to the Late Woodland period (ca. A.D. 900 – A.D. 1600). Though very elementary, the pictographs reflect Native American artistic and symbolic expression rarely occurring in eastern America as painted images. The presumed ritualistic or ceremonial function of the site at such an isolated and dramatic setting further provides important insight into a poorly understood aspect of regional settlement patterns.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: June 10, 2021
