ROCK ART RESEARCH IN THE FOURTH CATARACT REGION. PRELIMINARY REPORT
ROCK ART RESEARCH IN THE FOURTH CATARACT REGION. PRELIMINARY REPORT

Summary/Abstract: The research on petroglyphs in the PCMA UW concession in the 4th Nile Cataract region was based on an earlier prospection. The present reconnaissance covered the territory around Hagar el-Beida and Gamamiya, as well as on Jebel Gurgurib, close to Shemkhiya. Three clusters of rock art sites were discovered, significantly different when form and function are taken into consideration. In Jebel el-Kitaba, the representations are simple geometrical motifs. A preliminary examination of the drawings in Wadi el-Khineish has identified numerous and quite recent representations of camels, but also several glyphs of bovines and giraffes, many geometrical motifs and complicated arrangements of unclear nature. In a wadi selected for examination in Jebel Gurgurib, 22 sites have been documented so far. Most of the petroglyphs depict camels or camel riders. A general impression is that the petroglyphs in this wadi are a gallery of pictures for nomads approaching the Nile valley.

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