Back to Don's Maps
Rock paintings from Namibia in Africa
In Namibia these rock paintings and engravings were completed by San Bushmen. The rock engravings, more prevalent in some areas than others, have been found to be from 2 000 to 6 000 years old, and some paintings have been found to be 27 000 years old. The San entered the area about 8 000 years ago.
Rhinoceros seen on the way to the rock paintings.
Photo: Jack, 26th April 2005
Human figure with elaborate hair style or head dress, carrying an object, and with lines radiating from parts of the upper arms.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Antelope and a human figure.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
The Gemsbok or Oryx (Oryx gazella) is a large African antelope with distinctive facial markings.
Photo: Jack, 24th April 2005
Antelope.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Two Giraffes, a tree and hunters. Some of the images look like the hunters are bent double.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Giraffe family group, apparently parents and twins.
Photo: Jack, 25th April 2005
A hunt in progress, with the hunters brandishing what looks like clubs and firesticks. In each case, the arms are spread wide, with what I take to be the firestick held high.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
A lone hunter, with a short spear or a bow.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Three hunters, and an animal which they may be chasing.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
This is a very difficult painting to interpret. The hunter at the top left is unambiguous, but the two hunters to his right appear to be bent forward at the waist, with a tail of some kind hanging down behind their buttocks.
Below these hunters is an animal which may have been already killed, but it is difficult to interpret the three "legs" at the front of the animal.
Below the animal is a rudimentary figure of a hunter.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Above these hunters is a giraffe with its head and neck horizontal. Below that is a symbol with five vertical sections growing out of a horizontal section.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
This painting appears to have lost some of its pigment, but presumably originally showed an animal.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Red ochre elephant, with two black animals painted over the top - but all that remains are the heads and the black legs, which look at first like footprints. It would appear that the pigment for their bodies, presumably a different colour, has washed or flaked off, leaving just the legs and the heads. This colour pattern conforms to that of the Giant Eland, a favoured animal to hunt, being large and with delicious flesh.
The rear of another elephant is walking off to the right of this image.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Elephant at a waterhole, enjoying a mud bath.
Text below adapted from Wikipedia:
The mud acts as a sunscreen, protecting their skin from harsh ultraviolet radiation. Although tough, an elephant's skin is very sensitive. Without regular mud baths to protect it from burning, as well as from insect bites and moisture loss, an elephant's skin would suffer serious damage. After bathing, the elephant will usually use its trunk to blow dirt on its body to help dry and bake on its new protective coat.
Photo: Jack, 24th April 2005
Elephant and Zebras.
Photo: Jack, 26th April 2005
A superbly realised line portrait of a giraffe. This artist had the skills of a modern cartoonist.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Rock leaning against a fence, obviously moved from its original position.
This appears to be a pecked engraving of a hunter. The hunter has the bow over one arm, in the crook of the elbow, with a club or a quiver of arrows in the other. The hair seems to be kept in a standard style in these sets of paintings.
In addition, this engraving depicts clearly a waist decoration hanging down the rear of the hunter, as well as a depiction of some other item at the front of the figure at waist level. It does not appear to be genitals, which would be lower on the figure.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Lion and two possible Dama Gazelles
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Unidentifiable, now headless, antelope species.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
I have bumped up the contrast and altered the red level on the second photo, but I am still unable to identify this painting. It appears that there are at least two paintings, one on top of the other.
Photo: Jack, 27th April 2005
Human figures.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Three human figures and an animal with the head erased.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Possibly a wart hog.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Two human figures, possibly with head dresses.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Antelope.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Three hunters with bows and arrows.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Hunters with bows, arrows, and fire sticks on a hunt.
They have some sort of decoration or a belt around their waists, possibly a bola for bringing down game.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Hunters with bows and arrows, and a lioness, apparently painted later, over the top of the hunters.
Photo: Jack, 28th April 2005
Lioness
Photo: Jack, 25th April 2005
Landscape in the area of these paintings.
Photo: Jack, 29th April 2005
Wildebeeste.
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
Wildebeeste.
Photo: Jack, 18th April 2005
Dama Gazelle
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
Dama Gazelle
Photo: Jack, 24th April 2005
Dama Gazelle and a male Greater Kudu with spiralling horns painted below it.
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
Landscape and vegetation in the region of these paintings.
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
A veritable menagerie of animals.
Note the giraffe painted in white, and the giraffe painted with normal patterning.
Other animals include two zebras, one with typical markings on its head, as well as a white wildebeeste, and a Giant Eland with its head obscured near the giraffe, but shown with the characteristic large dewlap.
Many human figures, some obviously engaged in hunting, also occur on this panel.
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
Zebra.
The presence of these animals shown in the paintings indicates that the climate in this area has not changed significantly during the thousands of years since the paintings were completed.
Photo: Jack, 24th and 26th April 2005
Giant Eland, the biggest of the African antelopes. It has a red/brown body and a darker neck and head, as shown here. The flesh is very palatable, and it would have been a favoured animal to hunt.
Photo: Jack, 30th April 2005
Left, running or dancing figures, and right, the landscape in the area of this painting.
Photo: Jack, 1st May 2005
The vegetation has had to adapt to long periods of dry weather.
Photo: Jack, 1st May 2005