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This presentation was created for a class project at Cascadia College.

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The Tadrart Acacus rock art in Libya dates from 12000 BC – 100 CE. There are believed to be five periods of art, wild fauna, round head, pastoral, horse or bitriangular, and camel. (Gallinaro 2013, 350-82)

Today this area is largely uninhabitable but during ancient times higher levels of humidity allowed vegetation and human habitation, though the climate was still very unstable. The first peoples believed to have created rock art in this region is the Early Acacus people that settled the massifs in Tadrart Acacus. They occupied the area seasonally with task specific strategy of hunting the indigenous sheep. The earliest rock art, wild fuana, is thought to have been done by this group of people. It consists entirely of engravings of animals carved into stone walls (Gallinaro 2013, 350-82).

Between 8900-7400 BP a new group of hunter/gatherer/fishers occupied the area. They hunted the sheep and foraged the plants. They used the land differently with an introduction of pottery and stone grinders. This group of people is thought to have been responsible for the round head art. This art consists of anthropomorphic figures with rounded heads, it includes scenes of hunting and ritual dancing (Gallinaro 2013, 350-82).

There were then two phases of pastoralism. The first from 7400-6400 BP they occupied the land for long periods living in rock shelters and caves. They exploited cattle. Second was during the 6th millennium and they were much more permanent in the landscape. Climate drying caused a greater emphasis on cattle and less on plants. these two groups are associated with pastoral rock art, paintings depicting domestic cattle, milking, and other daily activities of the pastoral groups (Gallinaro 2013, 350-82).

Horse rock art is associated with the Garamantian culture, a later more sophisticated pastoral group. It depicts the riding and domestication of horses, used in battle scenes. Camel rock art tends to be associated with the end of the Garamantian period (Gallinaro 2013, 360-361)

Map of where site is located in Libya:
(UNESCO)

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Fabrizo Mori was the first to lead a small expedition to conduct research on the rock art. He developed the idea of the 5 phases of art. A later archaeologist, Muzzolini, argued that it is all one phase. This is still greatly debated. Rock art wasn’t found until the 19th century because of harsh conditions of the Sahara. In 1997 the Italian-Libyan archaeological mission began to carry out research and by 2009 discovered 111 sites (Alsherif 2014, 97-102).

Example of rock art found at site:
(UNESCO)

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There are three major risks to the rock art. One is that of vandalism. The first instance of vandalism to the rock art was in 2009, there was black and silver spray paint found. This dramatically increased after the 2011 civil war (Alsherif 2014, 97-102). Second is that of natural deterioration simply because of the age and harsh conditions of the area. There is also a lack of property boundaries and government intervention causing confusion (UNESCO, State of Conservation Reports, Rock Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus ). Third is the airstrikes that have started in recent years that is destroying the rock formations (Sacred-Sites.org, Libyan Cultural Sites in Danger)

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Of course one of the easiest way to help is to donate to conservation organizations such as UNESCO. Another major way to help is simply education. It is important to first educate yourself and then to educate others. You can donate your time to educate others and spread the word on social media. You can also educate local businesses and your employer and ask them to support various projects (UNESCO).

Example of Rock Art Vandalism:
http://www.voanews.com/a/reu-vandals-destroy-prehistoric-rock-art-in-libyas-lawless-sahara/1928558.html

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Alsherif, Ahmed. "The History of Rock Art Research in the Tadrart Acacus (Southwest Libya)." Adoranten, 2014, 97-102. Accessed November 24, 2016.

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "State of Conservation." UNESCO World Heritage Center - State of Conservation (SOC 2011) Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (Libya). Accessed November 24, 2016. http://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/343.

Gallinaro, Marina. "Saharan Rock Art: Local Dynamics and Wider Perspectives." Arts 2, no. 4 (2013): 350-82. doi:10.3390/arts2040350. hV�b��

"Sacred-Sites International Blog." SacredSites International Blog. Accessed November 24, 2016. http://sacred-sites.org/wordpress/2011/04/11/libyan-cultural-sites-in-danger/. er.io":JV�@��