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Prehistoric Rock Art of Jebel Shaqadud, Northwestern Butana (Sudan)

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Abstract

The dating and meaning of petroglyphs constitute a challenge in African rock-art research. In this article, we present and discuss a recently found rock-art assemblage from the Shaqadud site complex (Sudan), a site aggregation that nicely documents Holocene prehistoric cultural adaptations in non-aquatic, deep-savanna environments in what is today the Eastern Sahel. The rock-art corpus contains 120 identifiable motifs with a clear predominance of giraffes (n = 113, 94.2%) that are of small dimensions (< 50 cm) and are shown in a limited number of compositions. The thematic and technological compactness of the assemblage suggests a chronological integrity of the local figurative rock art and a coherent thematic and technological mindset of its creators. The archaeological context and the general characteristics of the assemblage place the local figurative rock art between the beginning of the Holocene and the Late Neolithic, in absolute dates between ca. 8748–1639 cal BC. However, spatial and visual connections could suggest a narrower dating of the assemblage, to the late Khartoum Mesolithic, around 6421–6088 cal BC. The predominance of the giraffe in the Shaqadud rock art suggests that this species may have carried a special significance for the local prehistoric communities. At the same time, the lack of hunting scenes in the figurative assemblage indicates that the importance of the giraffe motif goes beyond subsistence.

Résumé

La datation et la signification des pétroglyphes constituent un défi pour la recherche sur l’art rupestre africain. Dans cet article, nous présentons et discutons un assemblage d’art rupestre récemment découvert dans le complexe de sites de Shaqadud (Soudan), une agrégation de sites qui documente bien les adaptations culturelles préhistoriques de l’holocène dans des environnements non aquatiques de savane profonde dans ce qui est aujourd’hui le Sahel oriental. Le corpus rupestre contient 120 motifs identifiables avec une nette prédominance de girafes (n = 113, 94,2%) qui sont de petites dimensions (< 50 cm) et présentées dans un nombre limité de compositions. La compacité thématique et technologique de l’assemblage suggère une intégrité chronologique de l’art rupestre figuratif local et un état d’esprit thématique et technologique cohérent de ses créateurs. Le contexte archéologique et les caractéristiques générales de l’ensemble situent l’art rupestre figuratif local entre le début de l’Holocène et le Néolithique supérieur, en dates absolues entre c. 8748–1639 cal BC. Cependant, les connexions spatiales et visuelles pourraient suggérer une datation plus étroite de l’assemblage, à la fin du Mésolithique de Khartoum, vers 6421–6088 cal BC. La nette prédominance de la girafe dans l’art rupestre de Shaqadud suggère que cette espèce aurait pu avoir une signification particulière pour les communautés préhistoriques locales. Dans le même temps, le manque de scènes de chasse dans l’assemblage figuratif pourrait indiquer que cette signification peut avoir atteint bien au-delà de la subsistance.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude to the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums of Sudan for their support of the Shaqadud Archaeological Project. Thanks to Paweł L. Polkowski from the Poznań Archaeological Museum for pointing out the mid-Holocene dating of giraffe depictions in and around the Dakhleh Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt.

Funding

The research was funded by the Lumina quaeruntur (LQ300022002) award granted to L. Varadzin by the Czech Academy of Sciences. The engagement of L. Varadzinová was made possible also thanks to the Cooperatio Program provided by Charles University, research area Archaeology, implemented at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.

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  1. Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Nám. Jana Palacha 2, 116 38, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Lenka Varadzinová

  2. Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Letenská 4, 118 01, Prague 1, Czech Republic

    Lenka Varadzinová, Jiří Unger, Martin Černý & Ladislav Varadzin

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  1. Lenka Varadzinová
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Correspondence to Lenka Varadzinová.

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Archaeological time period

LSA, early and mid-Holocene, Khartoum Mesolithic, Khartoum Neolithic, Late Neolithic.

Country and region discussed

northeastern Africa, Eastern Sahel, central Sudan, Northwestern Butana.

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Varadzinová, L., Unger, J., Černý, M. et al. Prehistoric Rock Art of Jebel Shaqadud, Northwestern Butana (Sudan). Afr Archaeol Rev 41, 47–69 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-023-09549-2

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