The visual landscape of rock art in Qeydu Valley in Teymare in the Central Iranian Plateau

Qeydu Valley is a part of the Teymare region, which contains one the largest clusters of rock art in the central Iranian Plateau. Analyzing about 495 panels in more than 100 sites, this paper is intended to provide an insight into the landscape of rock art in Qeydu Valley. The paper explores the intersection of rock art positioning, movement patterns, and visual landscape in the study area. Total and cumulative viewshed, cost distance, and least-cost path analysis have been used to reconstruct the visibility dimension of the rock art locations in movement across the region. The total and cumulative viewshed analysis suggest that the panels showing a hunting theme benefit from a higher degree of visibility compared to the other petroglyphs.