Obviously, some symbols represent humans or animals but most of the time the real meaning is unknown. Petroglyphs are symbols pecked into the rock. Pictographs are actually painted on the rock. In Utah, we have both types of rock art. Archaeologists also study the materials left behind by the European settlers in Utah.
Archaeology is a science that studies all cultures, present and past.
Some archaeologists specialize in underwater shipwrecks while some specialize in military forts, battlefields from the Civil War and pioneer sites. Recently, archaeologists have even started to become interested in remains from WWII and WWII era plane wrecks, buildings, military fields, and battlefields. The wetlands around the Great Salt Lake provided great resources in terms of food, usable plants, and fresh water. People living in the Great Basin would often focus their culture on the marsh systems. Marsh systems allowed people in some parts of Utah to live in year-round settlements adjacent to the marshes.