!Exploring!Paleolithic!Art:!The!Dawn!of!Being!Human!

Mara!Vejby!

Africa’s)Rock)Art)!

Africa!has!the!greatest!variety!and!some!of!the!oldest!rock!art!on!earth.!Africa!has!far!more!rock!art!than!any!other!continent,!with!at!least!10!million!images!spread!across!more!than!30!countries.!Africa’s!rock!paintings!and!engravings,!some!of!them!many!thousands!of!years!old,!are!our!heritage,!a!heritage!that!informs!us!how!our!ancestors!thought!and!perceived!their!world.!They!are!the!earliest!remaining!evidence!of!spiritual/religious!beliefs;!they!speak!of!Africa’s!rich!history!and!culture,!and!a!time!long!before!writing!was!invented.!Across!Africa!today,!researchers!record!and!study!the!art,!seeking!its!age,!meaning!and!original!purposes.!Aware!of!emerging!conservation!problems,!African!governments!are!creating!management!plans!and!encouraging!local!

communities!to!become!involved!in!the!art’s!protection.!!

It!has!so!far!proven!difficult!to!establish!accurate!dates!for!rock!art.!Scientists!use!radiometric!techniques!to!date!organic!components!such!as!charcoal!and!to!date!binders!such!as!blood,!eggEwhite!and!urine.!In!some!parts!of!Africa,!experts!have!been!able!to!develop!chronologies!based!upon!the!existence!of!ancient!species!such!as!the!crocodile,!now!extinct!in!the!Sahara,!or!the!introduction!of!exotic!new!species!like!the!horse,!camel!or!dog.!!

Because!Africa’s!rock!art!was!created!in!exposed!places,!much!has!now!disappeared.!What!we!see!today!was!probably!created!during!the!last!12,000!years,!while!much!of!it!is!less!than!6,000!years!old.!Researchers!however!believe!that!Africa’s!nowEvanished!art!may!have!been!contemporary!with!Europe’s!great!Palaeolithic!cave!art!–!between!15,000!and!33,000!years!old.!Isolated!examples!of!older!art!have,!however!survived!to!the!present!e.g.!aurochs!engravings!in!the!Nile!Valley!dated!at!17,000!years!before!present,!roughly!the!same!age!as!Lascaux!in!France.!Some!rock!paintings!and!engravings!in!Africa!are!themselves!magnificent!art,!comparable!to!some!of!the!finest!works!found!in!the!World’s!art!galleries.!Therein,!African!rock!art!is!a!world!heritage.!!

UNESCO)World)Heritage)Sites)in)Africa))

Tassili)n’)Ajjer,)Algeria)1982!The!rock!art!of!the!Tassili!n’!Ajjer!consists!of!paintings!and!rock!engravings!(preserved!on!a!high,!eroded!plateau!in!the!central!Sahara!Desert).!The!plateau!is!a!spectacular!lunar!landscape!of!great!geological!interest.!The!art!depicts!herds!of!cattle!and!large!wild!animals!(such!as!giraffes!or!elephants!indicative!of!a!time!when!the!Sahara!was!humid!and!vibrant!with!human!activities!like!hunting!and!dancing).!!

Tadrart)Acacus,)Libya)1983!The!Tadrart!Acacus!mountains!contain!thousands!of!cave!paintings!and!engravings!in!different!styles!some!dating!from!12,000BP.!Five!different!art!phases!are!distinctive:!naturalistic!(Large!Wild!Fauna),!Round!Head,!Pastoral,!Horse,!and!Camel!Periods.!This!art!is!a!reflection!of!striking!changes!in!climate!and!in!flora!and!fauna.!The!paintings!also!provide!a!glimpse!into!different!lifestyles!of!human!societies!that!succeeded!each!other!over!time.!)

uKhahlamba/Drakensberg,)South)Africa)2000!The!Drakensberg!is!South!Africa’s!highest!and!most!dramatic!mountain!range;!it!contains!some!of!the!most!fascinating!natural!and!archaeological!areas!in!the!sub!continent.!The!mountain’s!numerous!rock!painting!sites!present!a!significant!component!of!cultural!heritage!left!behind!by!San/Bushman!people!who!lived!there!until!the!late!19th!Century.!The!paintings!are!outstanding!in!quality!and!diversity!of!subject,!and!in!their!depiction!of!animals!and!humans.!)

Tsodilo,)Botswana)2001!The!rock!art!site!of!Tsodilo!Hills!is!a!major!geological!landmark!in!the!northwestern!Kalahari!Desert.!The!amazing!quality!and!quantity!of!rock!art,!contained!in!a!relatively!small!area,!has!earned!the!site!the!title!of!the!“Louvre!of!the!Desert”.!The!site!is!characterised!by!a!wide!variety!of!paintings!on!exposed!rocks!made!mainly!by!Khoe!pastoralists.!“WhiteEpainting!Shelter”!has!been!periodically!inhabited!over!100,000!years,!early!IronEAge!villages!and!prehistoric!mines!set!Tsodilo!apart!from!other!Southern!African!sites.!)

Matobo)Hills,)Zimbabwe)2003!The!rock!art!sites!of!Matobo!Hills!occur!in!profusion!in!shelters!located!in!massive!granite!inselbergs!and!“whaleEbacks”,!(common!rock!formations!in!southern!Africa).!The!paintings!provide!vivid!pictures!of!later!Stone!Age!peoples’!conceptions!of!reality:!San/Bushmen!ancestors!who!were!absorbed!in!Zimbabwe!by!Bantu!speaking!agriculturalists.!)

Chongoni,)Malawi)2006!The!Chongini!rock!art!site!is!located!within!a!cluster!of!forested!granite!hills!on!the!high!altitude!plateau!of!central!Malawi.!The!rock!art!consists!almost!entirely!of!schematic,!white!paintings!(making!it!visually!different!from!the!more!naturalistic,!red!hunterEgatherer!images)!in!male!and!female!initiation!(as!well!as!rainEmaking!and!funeral!rites!of!Chewa!agriculturalists).!)

Kondoa,)Tanzania)2006!Most!of!the!Kondoa!rock!art!sites!are!located!on!or!near!the!Maasai!escarpment!(that!marks!the!western!edge!of!the!Great!Rift!Valley!in!Tanzania).!The!sites!are!a!series!of!rock!shelters!and!boulders!containing!paintings!mainly!depicting!elongated!people,!animals,!hunting!scenes,!and!abstract!markings.!Tanzania!also!has!World!Heritage!Sites!that!are!not!rock!art!sites!including:!the!Cultural!Ruins!of!Kilwa!Kisiwani!and!Ruins!of!Songo!Mnara!(1981);!Stone!Town!of!Zanzibar!(2000);!Kilimanjaro!National!Park!(1987);!Selous!Game!Reserve!(1982);!Serengeti!National!Park!(1981);!and!the!Ngorongoro!Conservation!Area!(1978).!)

Twyfelfontein,)Namibia)2007!The!Twyfelfontein!rock!art!site!has!one!of!the!largest!concentrations!of!rock!engravings!in!southern!Africa.!Most!of!these!represent!rhinoceros,!giraffe,!elephant,!antelope,!birds,!and!animal!footprints.!The!site!features!an!extensive!record!of!ritual!practices!of!huntergatherer!communities!in!this!part!of!southern!Africa!over!at!least!two!millennia.!