The discovery of new rock paintings in the Horn of Africa: the rockshelters of Las Geel, Republic of Somaliland

Gutherz, Xavier; Cros, Jean-Paul; Lesur, Joséphine

doi:10.3213/1612-1651-100011

Cited by 18 publications

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“…(Brandt et al ibid.). It is however possible as also suggested by others (see Gutherz et al 2003) that these dates might not correspond to the earliest human settlement of Karin Heegan and the rock art. The well known difficulty in dating rock art remains a problem also for the Horn of Africa.…”

Section: Datingmentioning

confidence: 84%

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The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland

Mire

2008

Afr Archaeol Rev

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Dhambalin, a sandstone rock shelter, was discovered in autumn 2007. The unique site holds polychrome paintings including the first sheep paintings in Somali archaeology. There is an extraordinary originality in the paintings, particularly those of the sheep and goats. There are unusual quality images and styles of humpless cows of which some are headless. The fauna depicted include antelopes, dogs, giraffes, snakes and a turtle, some of which are associated with human figures wearing what appear to be headgears and holding bow and arrows in hunting scenes. Relative dating is possible perhaps through the superimposition of various styles of paintings. Also the site shares some similarities with the Neolithic or protohistoric Arabian-Ethiopian Style in the Horn of Africa. Hence, there is a need for a multidisciplinary approach to the ritual landscapes, religion and identity in the Horn of Africa. With its richness of fauna, including unambiguous depictions of sheep and various styles of depiction of bovine, the new site of Dhambalin will no doubt play a major role in shedding light on pastoral cultures and pre-historic symbolism in the rock art of the Horn of Africa.Résumé En Automne 2007, Dhambalin un abri à base de pierre de sable fut découvert. Ce site unique en son genre posséde des peintures polychromes qui incluent les premieres peintures de mountons de l'archéologie Somalienne. On trouve une originalité extraordinaire dans ces peintures, en particulier dans celles des moutons et des chèvres. Il y a une qualite d'image inhabituelle, et des styles des vaches sans bosse dont certaines n'ont pas de tête. La faune illustrée décrit des Afr Archaeol Rev (2008) 25:153-168 antilopes, des chiens, des giraffes, des serpents et une tortue, aux quels sont associés des corps humains; des corps qui sembleraient porter quelquechose sur la tête et tendre l'arc avec des flèches dans une scène de chasse. Il est possible de donner une date relative à travers la superposition des divers styles de peintures. En plus, le site partage quelques similarites avec le style Néolitique ou le style protohistorique de l'Ethiopie Arabique de la Corne d'Afrique. Par consequent, il y a un besoin d'une approche à disciplines variées concernant l'espace des rituels, de la religion et de l'identite de la Corne d'Afrique. La richesse de la faune qui comprend sans ambiguité des images de moutons, et de plusieurs styles d'images de bovins, ainsi que le nouveau site du Dhambalin, joueront sans aucun doute un rôle majeur dans la compréhension des cultures nomades et du symbole pré-historique de l'art du rocher dans la Corne d'Afrique.

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Section: Datingmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Rock art sites are spread across a belt stretching from Somalia's east highlands to the Harar region in Ethiopia and further to the west in Ethiopia (Brandt and Carder 1987;Gutherz et al 2003). Karin Heegan has polychrome paintings of bovine, and was first mentioned by Clark (1954Clark ( , 1972 and visited by Jönsson (1983).…”

Section: Datingmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland

Mire

2008

Afr Archaeol Rev

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“…Map 1 includes all sites mentioned in the table; Map 2 represents all megalithic sites and decorated stelae cemeteries; Map 3 represents rock art sites and Himyarite and Sabaean When Arnoldi (1984) discussed the artistic heritage of the Somali, only verbal heritage and objects were reported. However, now this should also include rock art and cave paintings, which mainly came to light in the last few decades (Brandt and Carder 1987;Gutherz et al 2003;Mire 2008). We have over 70 sites reported to us but we now present about 30 sites in this map.…”

Section: The Mappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is not much scope here for detail but at Dhambalin, sheep, goats and bovines are decorated and some of the decorations are similar to those at Karin Hagane and Laas Geel. Dhambalin does not have the cows typical of Dhagah Nabi Galay, Karin Hagane (Brandt and Carder 1987), Laas Geel (Gutherz et al 2003), Jilib Rihin and Haadh (Mire 2008)-where the heads of bovines appear like a beaker-and in fact displays headless beasts. At Karin Hagane and Laas Geel types, the head is situated close to the horns, often large ones.…”

Section: The Mappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rock art sites of Somaliland show that between the third and second millennium BCE, herding humpless cows (Gutherz et al 2003), sheep and goats (Mire 2008), as well as hunting antelopes, giraffes and other wild animals, was the basis for the subsistence economy. These sites inform us about the earliest pastoralists in the Horn of Africa and food-producing societies from ca.…”

Section: The Mappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping the Archaeology of Somaliland: Religion, Art, Script, Time, Urbanism, Trade and Empire

Mire

2015

Afr Archaeol Rev

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This paper presents the results of some of the surveys conducted to map archaeological sites of Somaliland and includes almost 100 new and previously unpublished sites. The survey work was conducted by several of Somaliland's Department of Archaeology staff, including Mohamed Ali Abdi, a Departmental survey officer, and the present author. This report is an archaeological testimony to the social complexity and cultural diversity of this region as a cultural crossroads for millennia, being strategically located on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. However, the maps by no means exhaust the number of archaeological sites known to us in Somaliland. The region had vast Cushitic, pre-Christian and pre-Islamic Empires that at times formed part of the Himyarite and Sabaean cultures of Southern Arabia, the Aksumite Empire and early Islamic Empires of the Horn of Africa. The coastal populations were active seafarers according to Greek records as well as archaeological remains, linking to the Phoenician and Graeco-Roman worlds. They also formed part of an early global economy including the Silk Road. Islamic Empires of the Horn of Africa show an enormous wealth of long-distance trade-including material from Tang Dynasty to Ming Dynasty China-and the magnitude of some of their capitals such as the ruined town and burials of Aw-Barkhadle.Résumé Cet article présente les résultats d'un certain nombre d'études sur la cartographie de sites archéologiques du Somaliland. Il comprend près de 100 nouveaux sites inédits et non publiés. Le travail d'enquête a été mené par plusieurs membres du Département d'Archéologie du Somaliland, sous la direction de Mohamed Ali Abdi, ainsi que par l'auteur du présent rapport. Cependant, les cartes ne sont nullement une énumération exhaustive du nombre de sites archéologiques connus au Somaliland. Ce témoignage archéologique traite de la complexité sociale et de la diversité culturelle de cette région, en tant que carrefour culturel depuis des millénaires, stratégiquement situé Afr Archaeol Rev (2015) 32:111-136

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Somaliland: Cultural Heritage Management

Mire

2020

Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology

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The discovery of new rock paintings in the Horn of Africa: the rockshelters of Las Geel, Republic of Somaliland

Cited by 18 publications

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The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland

The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland

Mapping the Archaeology of Somaliland: Religion, Art, Script, Time, Urbanism, Trade and Empire

Somaliland: Cultural Heritage Management

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