Rock art is the term archaeologists use to describe man-made carvings (petroglyphs) and paintings (pictographs) on rocks and stone. While rock art is often associated with prehistoric peoples not all petroglyphs and pictographs were made by early man. Some of the rock art found in the United States is only a few hundred years old and it was made by the ancestors of Native American tribes. But that isn't the only fact about rock art that is fun. Archaeologists believe that rock art designs held a special meaning for the people that made them. Some petroglyphs and pictographs appear to tell a story or mark a trail. Others were likely made for religious ceremonies or to record events. Rock art was the only way for early peoples to express themselves. They didn't have the written word.