The Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira, Egypt: Landscape, archaeology, threats and conservation

Since the publication of the threats to the Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira three weeks ago, there has been much response through e-mail and social media, and the case has been covered by many online magazines and blogs. People in Egypt and elsewhere are concerned, and I wish to thank you all for your interest and for bringing the case along to friends and colleagues, as well as to administrators and politicians. There now seems to be a need for an “unbiased”, comprehensive overview of what is actually known about the landscape, the archaeology, the rock art, the threats, current conservation efforts and options for the future. The overview below is based on published literature, and information that otherwise belongs to the public sphere. It is written in close cooperation with Adel Kelany, and we have benefitted from input by Dirk Huyge.

Picture:

Rock art by a “fjord” along the Nile? This is how Wadi Abu Subeira may have looked like at the time of the making of the Late Palaeolithic rock art, some 15-20.000 years ago. The iron mining concessions that may destroy the rock art are also indicated. Hypothetical reconstruction by Per Storemyr based on information on rock art locations from Adel Kelany and on the general knowledge of the geomorphology in the area, provided in Wendorf & Schild (1989). Only field studies can confirm the hypothesis.

 http://per-storemyr.net/2012/05/01/the-palaeolithic-rock-art-in-wadi-abu-subeira-egypt-landscape-archaeology-threats-and-conservation/