Rock Art Research in Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt: Content, Methods, and Interpretations

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Situated some 350 km from the Nile Valley, Dakhleh Oasis is considered one of the largest rock art complexes in Egypt. The petroglyphs found there were executed in various periods, beginning from the Early Holocene, through Pharaonic times, towards modernity. Often being located in the same areas, they constitute large palimpsests witnessing a long history of the Oasis. In shaping its landscape rock art production has always played an important role. In this paper I describe some of the research questions raised by the ongoing scientific project of the Petroglyph Unit. Basing on fieldwork conducted in the central part of the Oasis, distribution of various rock art traditions and categories will be presented and analyzed with respect to the ancient routes crossing the area, their landscape setting, and their potential functions and significance. I also touch upon the problem of palimpsestic nature of Dakhleh rock art which can be manifested in frequent superimpositions. In this respect, particularly important are these panels which contain prehistoric depictions covered by or juxtaposed with Pharaonic imagery. Appropriation of older petroglyphs and their re-interpretation may indicate an idea of intentional transformation of landscape in post-prehistoric era.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25458