SEPTEMBER 4th - 6th 2026
A two-day event discussing and investigating new discoveries and interpretations of ancient art globally, with leading researchers.
Call for papers for 2026 event.
We welcome all papers about prehistoric art. If you have any questions, please get in touch. Please submit papers and questions to:
The Location
BIRAG 2026 will take place in Cromford, Derbyshire at the grade II listed Gothic Warehouse on Cromford canal.
You can read about the history of this 232 year old building here.
Google Maps
The Event
This year, BIRAG will have an optional 'social evening’ the night before the main event.
Friday Sept 4th
Dusk Field Trip and Social
Evening meet up
Dusk field-trip to a close-by rock art site
Pub drinks and/or food
(tbc, menus will be provided)
Saturday Sept 5th
Talks and Discussion Day
10am start at Cromford Canal Gothic Warehouse for a day of talks and discussion
1 hour break for lunch at the surrounding Cromford Mill cafes.
(If you have specific dietry needs, please let us know and we can enquire about availability.)5pm wrap up, social meet up and food at a local pub
(tbc, menus will be provided)
Sunday Sept 6th
Field Trip All Day
Field trip day to surrounding rock art sites with guided talks and exploration
(please come prepared for all weather and to walk on rough ground)
10:00am
10:00 - 10:35
10:35 - 11:00
11:00 - 11:25
11:25 – 11:50
11:50 – 12:15
12:15 – 12:40
12.40 - 14:00
14:00 - 14.25
14:25 – 14:50
14:50 - 15:25
14:50 - 15:25
15:50 - 16:15
16:15 - 16:40
16:40 - 17:10
Line Up
Welcome
Star of the moors: A tribute to Stan Beckensall (1932-2025)
Beyond the cup-and-ring mark: recently identified features and motifs (other than cup-and-ring marks) in Irish openair megalithic-era petroglyphs
The Protection and Management of Rock Art: A Scottish Perspective
Feldom scene. Explorations in a little-known North Pennines rock art landscape
Using geospatial techniques in the dark: Preliminary investigations in Thor’s Cave, Derbyshire
Aron Mazel and George Nash
Aron Mazel
Aoibheann Lambe
Coffee break
The Lost Stones of Strath Tay:
community rock art excavation
Tertia Barnett
Nicki Hall
Paul Frodsham & Richard Stroud
Lunch
Return to the Lakes, Year 1: Knocking on Doors
The Hills Have Eyes: Rock-Art and the Prehistory of Sheffield's Upland Hinterland
Coffee break
The Contextual Placement of Fluteplayers and Flutes: a Comparative Analysis between Rock Art Imagery and Artefact in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Stairways of potency: paintings of ladders and climbing ropes in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg and adjacent areas, South Africa’
Discussion & Conclusion
Kate Sharpe
Tim Cockrell
George Nash, Andy Beardsley & Anna Clark
Chalotte Vendome-Gardner
Aron Mazel
NOTE: there are 3 cafes on-site for refreshments and lunch
Reserve Your Spot
We have a capacity of 50 attendees at this year’s event.
Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email.
Please note, payment of £15 will be taken at the door.