Pictographs of animals and humans on a cavewall in eastern Libya near Magidet. The frieze depicts subjects in different styles indicating that they we
Pictographs of animals and humans on a cavewall in eastern Libya near Magidet. The frieze depicts subjects in different styles indicating that they were perhaps painted at different times. The presence of giraffe and the now extinct aurochs indicate that the Sahara at this time was in one of its wet phases, dominated by savannah. The art, some of which dates to about 9000 years ago is engaging, vivid, and includes paintings and engravings of various animals, human figures, scenes of cattle with exaggerated horns, and various social activities. Most of the human figures lack any facial features and appear to have a mythological background and themes. Ochre was the main pigment used by early humans in rock art and body painting; and sites showing evidence of prehistoric ochre mining have been discovered in the Sahara.
Size: 6783px × 5087px
Photo credit: © DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animals, art, auroch, body, cavewall, engravings, extinct, facial, figures, frieze, giraffe, humans, hunt, libya, magidet, mining, mythological, ochre, paintings, pictographs, pigment, prehistoric, rock, sahara, savannah
