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Les Cahiers de l’AARS , 2023
The Hiliba Gorge hides a modest shelter decorated with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and hut figure... more The Hiliba Gorge hides a modest shelter decorated with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and hut figures, mostly painted in the Tamada style. The animals include three giraffes and the probable representation of a monkey, the second known in the regional inventory. Despite the limited extent of the decorated surface, the Monkey Shelter is an important addition to the short list of sites with paintings in this Tamada style, which are distinguished by early depictions of metal weapons.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS, 2023
The harp players painted at Bichagara and Terkey Bowdé lead to a reconsideration of the depiction... more The harp players painted at Bichagara and Terkey Bowdé lead to a reconsideration of the depictions of harps and harpists in Ennedi rock art. At least three types of bowed harp were used in the Late Pastoral and
Late Pastoral periods. The harpist usually played as a soloist in the village context, sometimes with the help of a drummer using the harp case as a drum. This technique brings the prehistoric musical tradition of the Ennedi
closer to the music of the Bouduma harpists who live on the shores of Lake Chad.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS , 2021
The southern slope of the Gribi Hill hosts a vast complex of eleven rock art sites. Korien Harda... more The southern slope of the Gribi Hill hosts a vast complex of eleven rock art sites. Korien Hardanga III, the largest cave in the hill, counts hundreds of painted human figures, mainly painted in the Fada style. Superimpositions of progressively more stylised figures added during the time without an apparent narrative intent suggest that the primary motivation for decorating the contiguous sites of Korien Hardanga lay in the desire to preserve the memory of the individual and collective identity.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS, 2021
In a shelter located at the foot of a hillock north of Herté Saouni, a large composition presents... more In a shelter located at the foot of a hillock north of Herté Saouni, a large composition presents a confrontation between two groups of hundreds of men, some engaged in duels. It is difficult to determine whether this is a real or a simulated battle. The presence of a drummer slightly favours the latter hypothesis.
EXPRESSION N°31, 2021
Despite the variety of motifs documented in the Ennedi rock art tradition, dating from the mid-Ho... more Despite the variety of motifs documented in the
Ennedi rock art tradition, dating from the mid-Ho-
locene to the present day, representations of fantastic
entities seem extremely rare. The pre-Islamic beliefs
in an impersonal creator god and ancestor worship
(Fuchs 1961; Tubiana 1964), along with an overt
veneration for cattle, explain the rock art’s secular ap-
pearance, referred to as the pastoral period (Menardi
Noguera 2018).
The much older paintings from the pre-pastoral peri-
od (the archaic period in the local rock-art terminol-
ogy (Bailloud, 1997)), include representations of hu-
mans and a selection of African fauna, exceptionally
extended to the aquatic realm (Gauthier and Gauthier
2019). At first glance, this ancient art seems primari-
ly motivated by interest or fear. The represented ani-
mals are the best possible game, like the elephants and
giraffes, or the most dangerous, like the big cats, as
expected from ecological studies of ancient and con-
temporaneous hunter-gatherers’ behavior (Halfon and
Barkai 2020, Bugir et al. 2021).
EXPRESSION N°29, 2020
Niola Doa is a constellation of decorated rocks located in the northeastern sector of the Ennedi,... more Niola Doa is a constellation of decorated rocks located
in the northeastern sector of the Ennedi, renowned for the corpulent humans depicted in nearly life-size. Since the discovery by Captain Jean Courtin in 1953, the Niola Doa petroglyphs received much scholarly attention (Allard-Huard and Huard 1983, Bonnet 1960, Breuil 1955, Choppy et al. 1996, De Lapparent 1955, Faleschini et al. 1996, Fuchs 1957, Gauthier and Gauthier 2019, Huard 1963, Huard and Massip 1966, Simonis et al. 1994 and 1998, Soleilhavoup 2018, 2019).
Outside the Niola Doa area, the only two other known sites with petroglyphs representing humans in the same style are at Anoa-1 (Huard and Massip 1966), and Erdi Ma (Negro 1996). Anoa-1 is crucial for understanding this style as a corpulent human appears in meaningful, direct association with cattle figures characterized by sophisticated
coat decorations.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS - N°21, 2020
The study of several painted shelters reveals the importance of sheep herds in Ennedi, suggesting... more The study of several painted shelters reveals the importance of sheep herds in Ennedi, suggesting a shift from a cattle-oriented pastoral system to dependence on small livestock. This response to aridification eventually led to a production system based on camels, sheep and goats, similar to the one in place today.
BCSP Bollettino del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici - vol. 43, 2017
The area of the Amilianga pass in the Ennedi Highlands is dotted with decorated shelters testifyi... more The area of the Amilianga pass in the Ennedi Highlands is dotted with decorated shelters testifying to the frequentation by the people that produced the widespread rock art characteristic of the final
Bovine and Camel periods. The Eli-1 shelter, a site located in a very dominant location, also preserves a few surviving pieces of evidence from an older past, including paintings referable to the Archaic
Period and a group scene painted in the iconographic tradition of the famed Niola Doa petroglyphs. The paintings in the Niola Doa tradition represent an infrequent occurrence at the regional scale,
attributable to the middle to recent Bovine Period.
CRRAES - Proceedings IFRAO, 2018
In the Ennedi decorated shelters, the appearance at the inception of the Metal Age of an iconogra... more In the Ennedi decorated shelters, the appearance at the inception of the Metal Age of an iconography based on the recursive reproduction of standing humans with flexed arms and open hands marks the most visible artistic discontinuity. Simple modifications of this basic pose allowed for the representation of sleeping or dead humans and seated women.
The focus of the new art tradition, starting with the Tamada style, was on the social portrait of families with well-defined gender roles. The placement of highly visible cattle figures at some particular spots in the most elaborate compositions reflects the centrality of cattle for the societies thriving in the region at the time.
![Research paper thumbnail of Uweinat Roundhead: Body Proportions and Postures [in:] Huyge, D. & Van Noten, F. (eds.), What ever happened to the people. Humans and anthropomorphs in the rock art of northern Africa. Brussels, 321-341](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/56794489/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](— The Uweinat Roundhead style paintings have been attributed to a group of hunter-gatherers on th... more — The Uweinat Roundhead style paintings have been attributed to a group of hunter-gatherers on the basis of a reasonable inference, although no game of choice or hunting scenes were documented. Indeed , Uweinat Roundhead art regards the representation of the human figure depicted in an impressively large variety of poses. Body proportions of URH figures are generally unrealistic, but the main body anatomy is accurately represented. In order to classify poses and understand the underlying postures in terms of actions, a 3D digital mannequin incorporating a realistic model of the human skeleton was used to model each differently posed figure. Categorization of poses, combined with recognition of interrelated poses in key scenes, reveals dancing as the most represented activity.
Arts, Sep 29, 2017
By revisiting the Nabara 2 shelter in the southern Ennedi (Chad), some previously unreported pain... more By revisiting the Nabara 2 shelter in the southern Ennedi (Chad), some previously unreported paintings and a whole set of unexpected oval engravings were surveyed. These engravings, internally decorated with patterns of lines, some featured by a single longitudinal element or a sort of reticular structure, make Nabara 2 an unparalleled site among the hundreds known in the region. Comparison with similar motifs associated to human depictions found at the western termination of the Ennedi Highland suggests these engravings could be depictions of shields, attributable to the pastoral period.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS, 2014
Hiking along the old trails detected by interpreting the satellite images of Wadi Baba, east of t... more Hiking along the old trails detected by interpreting the satellite images of Wadi Baba, east of the most explored region in the Ennedi, resulted in the survey of two major painted shelters at high elevations, one particularly significant for the very rare painted elephants it contains, attributable to the Sivré style.
En randonnée le long des anciennes pistes détectées par les images satellitaires de Wadi Baba, à l’est de la région la mieux connue de l’Ennedi, on a relevé deux grands abris peints à haute altitude, dont un particulièrement important pour les très rares éléphants peints qu’il contient, attribuable au style de Sivré.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS, 2014, 2014
The Archeï-2 site, located a few steps away from the Wadi Archeï guelta, is a large cave hosting ... more The Archeï-2 site, located a few steps away from the Wadi
Archeï guelta, is a large cave hosting very dense compositions
of paintings, mainly referable to the recent pastoral
and ancient cameline periods. At an unattainable height
on the cave vault, well above the reported art, some previously
unnoticed pink stains were proven, by image processing,
to be paintings in the oldest pictorial styles known
in the Ennedi, referable to the archaic period.
Archeï-2, près de la guelta du Wadi Archeï, désigne une
grande grotte hébergeant des peintures, principalement
attribuables au Pastoral récent et au Camelin ancien.
Dans un lieu inaccessible sur la voûte de la grotte, bien
au-dessus de cet art connu, le traitement informatique
de taches roses non remarquées jusqu’à présent a révélé
des peintures dans les styles les plus anciens connus de
l’Ennedi, attribuables à la période archaïque.
Zenodo, 2017
The Sivré hill in the Ennedi, well-known for the two “Martians” discovered by Gérard Bailloud in ... more The Sivré hill in the Ennedi, well-known for the two “Martians” discovered by Gérard Bailloud in 1957, hosts in its shelters some paintings attributable to the pre-pastoral period, not surveyed at the time of the first reporting but only mentioned. In particular, the overlooked weathered paintings present in two secluded shelters southwest of Sivré IV, show that the site is richer of a diverse pre-pastoral art than it was possible to imagine from the previously published descriptions. The superimposition relations among these ancient paintings are consistent with the relative regional chronology proposed for the oldest painting styles in the Ennedi.
Zenodo, 2017
The existence in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï of paintings recalling the iconography of the famed Nio... more The existence in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï of paintings recalling the iconography of the famed Niola Doa petroglyphs was recognised at the time of the first reports, in the 90s. By scanning in 3D with a digital camera the already described evidence for a “Niola Doa culture” in this major site, a few but significant additional details are revealed.
Zenodo, 2016
The Chiguéou II site, located in the southwestern sector of the Ennedi, was first reported in 19... more The Chiguéou II site, located in the southwestern sector of
the Ennedi, was first reported in 1956 by Gérard Bailloud,
who documented two large engraved cattle figures, which
coats are decorated with intricate geometric motifs. These
monumental figures are not the sole rock art present at
Chiguéou II; this site hosts some more engraved cattle
figures remarkable for their large dimensions plus many
faded paintings attributable to the recent cattle and camel
periods, which were not published at the time of the first
reporting but deserve to be added to the inventory.
Zenodo
Chéïré-1 is a large painted shelter located in the SW sector of the Ennedi, east of the renewed W... more Chéïré-1 is a large painted shelter located in the SW sector of the Ennedi, east of the renewed Wadi Archeï guelta, particularly rich with fine paintings portraying the cattle herders who inhabited the region during the early Iron Age.
Chéïré-1 was discovered during the 1997 winter by Andrea Bonomo. Revisited in March 2014, the site was fully documented using cross-polarized flash lights, a basic photographic technique first introduced in rock art studies by Henderson (2002). In all, 485 motifs have been referenced and indexed after image enhancement by D-Stretch (Harman, 2002).
Chéïré-1 est un grand abri peint situé dans le secteur sud-ouest de l'Ennedi, à l'est de la célèbre guelta du Wadi Archeï, particulièrement riche de belles peintures dépeignant les éleveurs de bétail qui ont habité la région dans la premier âge du fer.
Sahara Journal 24, 2013
The Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the region between Wadi Qena and Wadi Barramya, is endowed of a r... more The Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the region between Wadi Qena and Wadi Barramya, is endowed of a rich rock art spanning through the ages as documented in a number of petroglyphs sites. Amazingly, very few rock art sites are known from the vast northern termination of this desert. The few published references relate to the Gebel Galala el Qibliya plateau only. Six open air sites, decorated with petroglyphs, were surveyed in the sandstone outcrops near the St Paul Monastery (Dittmann, 1990-1999); a single painted limestone cave was studied in Wadi Adayd (Hobbs & Goodman, 1995). To this very short inventory, four previously unreported sites were added during the 2012.
Sahara Journal, Jul 2012
Five previously unreported rock art sites were surveyed in the northern range of Jebel Arkenu. Pa... more Five previously unreported rock art sites were surveyed in the northern range of Jebel Arkenu. Particularly interesting among the noted paintings attributable to the Uweinat Cattle Pastoralists style are the first recognized examples of human figures carrying fringed shoulder bags. A large panel entirely attributable to the “Elongated Roundhead” style represents one of the most elaborate known artistic expressions to date of the earliest defined cultural period. Depictions of archers equipped with transverse arrowheads were noted in a shelter hosting many faded human figures, in part attributable to the Wadi Wahesh style. Giraffes and antelopes tethered to complex anchors feature a petroglyph site containing the most numerous and varied composition of tethered wild animal scenes ever found in the region.
Sahara Journal, Jul 2011
A number of previously unreported rock art sites have been surveyed in the Libyan sector of Jebel... more A number of previously unreported rock art sites have been surveyed in the Libyan sector of Jebel Uweinat. Among the new finds, particularly remarkable is the first documentation of archers equipped with transverse arrowheads. These depictions belong to one of the hunter-gatherer groups predating the cattle herders in settling the massif. We also noted rare pictorial evidence of back aprons in the wardrobe of pastoralist women, based on ethnographic evidence very likely worn by adolescent girls. The transformation of the western Uweinat natural landscape into a cultural landscape with painting compositions on rock surfaces lasted some millennia. The emerging spatial distribution of painted sites, although a taphonomic pattern, still preserves some information about this process. The art attributable to the first settlers established an early pattern that could have inspired later newcomers. The observed preferences in decorating specific rock surfaces, overhangs or sheltering boulders, corroborated by superimposition of several painting styles, could be explained in the context of land use and survival strategies implemented by the different groups.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS , 2023
The Hiliba Gorge hides a modest shelter decorated with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and hut figure... more The Hiliba Gorge hides a modest shelter decorated with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and hut figures, mostly painted in the Tamada style. The animals include three giraffes and the probable representation of a monkey, the second known in the regional inventory. Despite the limited extent of the decorated surface, the Monkey Shelter is an important addition to the short list of sites with paintings in this Tamada style, which are distinguished by early depictions of metal weapons.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS, 2023
The harp players painted at Bichagara and Terkey Bowdé lead to a reconsideration of the depiction... more The harp players painted at Bichagara and Terkey Bowdé lead to a reconsideration of the depictions of harps and harpists in Ennedi rock art. At least three types of bowed harp were used in the Late Pastoral and
Late Pastoral periods. The harpist usually played as a soloist in the village context, sometimes with the help of a drummer using the harp case as a drum. This technique brings the prehistoric musical tradition of the Ennedi
closer to the music of the Bouduma harpists who live on the shores of Lake Chad.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS , 2021
The southern slope of the Gribi Hill hosts a vast complex of eleven rock art sites. Korien Harda... more The southern slope of the Gribi Hill hosts a vast complex of eleven rock art sites. Korien Hardanga III, the largest cave in the hill, counts hundreds of painted human figures, mainly painted in the Fada style. Superimpositions of progressively more stylised figures added during the time without an apparent narrative intent suggest that the primary motivation for decorating the contiguous sites of Korien Hardanga lay in the desire to preserve the memory of the individual and collective identity.
Les Cahiers de l’AARS, 2021
In a shelter located at the foot of a hillock north of Herté Saouni, a large composition presents... more In a shelter located at the foot of a hillock north of Herté Saouni, a large composition presents a confrontation between two groups of hundreds of men, some engaged in duels. It is difficult to determine whether this is a real or a simulated battle. The presence of a drummer slightly favours the latter hypothesis.
EXPRESSION N°31, 2021
Despite the variety of motifs documented in the Ennedi rock art tradition, dating from the mid-Ho... more Despite the variety of motifs documented in the
Ennedi rock art tradition, dating from the mid-Ho-
locene to the present day, representations of fantastic
entities seem extremely rare. The pre-Islamic beliefs
in an impersonal creator god and ancestor worship
(Fuchs 1961; Tubiana 1964), along with an overt
veneration for cattle, explain the rock art’s secular ap-
pearance, referred to as the pastoral period (Menardi
Noguera 2018).
The much older paintings from the pre-pastoral peri-
od (the archaic period in the local rock-art terminol-
ogy (Bailloud, 1997)), include representations of hu-
mans and a selection of African fauna, exceptionally
extended to the aquatic realm (Gauthier and Gauthier
2019). At first glance, this ancient art seems primari-
ly motivated by interest or fear. The represented ani-
mals are the best possible game, like the elephants and
giraffes, or the most dangerous, like the big cats, as
expected from ecological studies of ancient and con-
temporaneous hunter-gatherers’ behavior (Halfon and
Barkai 2020, Bugir et al. 2021).
EXPRESSION N°29, 2020
Niola Doa is a constellation of decorated rocks located in the northeastern sector of the Ennedi,... more Niola Doa is a constellation of decorated rocks located
in the northeastern sector of the Ennedi, renowned for the corpulent humans depicted in nearly life-size. Since the discovery by Captain Jean Courtin in 1953, the Niola Doa petroglyphs received much scholarly attention (Allard-Huard and Huard 1983, Bonnet 1960, Breuil 1955, Choppy et al. 1996, De Lapparent 1955, Faleschini et al. 1996, Fuchs 1957, Gauthier and Gauthier 2019, Huard 1963, Huard and Massip 1966, Simonis et al. 1994 and 1998, Soleilhavoup 2018, 2019).
Outside the Niola Doa area, the only two other known sites with petroglyphs representing humans in the same style are at Anoa-1 (Huard and Massip 1966), and Erdi Ma (Negro 1996). Anoa-1 is crucial for understanding this style as a corpulent human appears in meaningful, direct association with cattle figures characterized by sophisticated
coat decorations.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS - N°21, 2020
The study of several painted shelters reveals the importance of sheep herds in Ennedi, suggesting... more The study of several painted shelters reveals the importance of sheep herds in Ennedi, suggesting a shift from a cattle-oriented pastoral system to dependence on small livestock. This response to aridification eventually led to a production system based on camels, sheep and goats, similar to the one in place today.
BCSP Bollettino del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici - vol. 43, 2017
The area of the Amilianga pass in the Ennedi Highlands is dotted with decorated shelters testifyi... more The area of the Amilianga pass in the Ennedi Highlands is dotted with decorated shelters testifying to the frequentation by the people that produced the widespread rock art characteristic of the final
Bovine and Camel periods. The Eli-1 shelter, a site located in a very dominant location, also preserves a few surviving pieces of evidence from an older past, including paintings referable to the Archaic
Period and a group scene painted in the iconographic tradition of the famed Niola Doa petroglyphs. The paintings in the Niola Doa tradition represent an infrequent occurrence at the regional scale,
attributable to the middle to recent Bovine Period.
CRRAES - Proceedings IFRAO, 2018
In the Ennedi decorated shelters, the appearance at the inception of the Metal Age of an iconogra... more In the Ennedi decorated shelters, the appearance at the inception of the Metal Age of an iconography based on the recursive reproduction of standing humans with flexed arms and open hands marks the most visible artistic discontinuity. Simple modifications of this basic pose allowed for the representation of sleeping or dead humans and seated women.
The focus of the new art tradition, starting with the Tamada style, was on the social portrait of families with well-defined gender roles. The placement of highly visible cattle figures at some particular spots in the most elaborate compositions reflects the centrality of cattle for the societies thriving in the region at the time.
— The Uweinat Roundhead style paintings have been attributed to a group of hunter-gatherers on th... more — The Uweinat Roundhead style paintings have been attributed to a group of hunter-gatherers on the basis of a reasonable inference, although no game of choice or hunting scenes were documented. Indeed , Uweinat Roundhead art regards the representation of the human figure depicted in an impressively large variety of poses. Body proportions of URH figures are generally unrealistic, but the main body anatomy is accurately represented. In order to classify poses and understand the underlying postures in terms of actions, a 3D digital mannequin incorporating a realistic model of the human skeleton was used to model each differently posed figure. Categorization of poses, combined with recognition of interrelated poses in key scenes, reveals dancing as the most represented activity.
Arts, Sep 29, 2017
By revisiting the Nabara 2 shelter in the southern Ennedi (Chad), some previously unreported pain... more By revisiting the Nabara 2 shelter in the southern Ennedi (Chad), some previously unreported paintings and a whole set of unexpected oval engravings were surveyed. These engravings, internally decorated with patterns of lines, some featured by a single longitudinal element or a sort of reticular structure, make Nabara 2 an unparalleled site among the hundreds known in the region. Comparison with similar motifs associated to human depictions found at the western termination of the Ennedi Highland suggests these engravings could be depictions of shields, attributable to the pastoral period.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS, 2014
Hiking along the old trails detected by interpreting the satellite images of Wadi Baba, east of t... more Hiking along the old trails detected by interpreting the satellite images of Wadi Baba, east of the most explored region in the Ennedi, resulted in the survey of two major painted shelters at high elevations, one particularly significant for the very rare painted elephants it contains, attributable to the Sivré style.
En randonnée le long des anciennes pistes détectées par les images satellitaires de Wadi Baba, à l’est de la région la mieux connue de l’Ennedi, on a relevé deux grands abris peints à haute altitude, dont un particulièrement important pour les très rares éléphants peints qu’il contient, attribuable au style de Sivré.
Les Cahiers de l'AARS, 2014, 2014
The Archeï-2 site, located a few steps away from the Wadi Archeï guelta, is a large cave hosting ... more The Archeï-2 site, located a few steps away from the Wadi
Archeï guelta, is a large cave hosting very dense compositions
of paintings, mainly referable to the recent pastoral
and ancient cameline periods. At an unattainable height
on the cave vault, well above the reported art, some previously
unnoticed pink stains were proven, by image processing,
to be paintings in the oldest pictorial styles known
in the Ennedi, referable to the archaic period.
Archeï-2, près de la guelta du Wadi Archeï, désigne une
grande grotte hébergeant des peintures, principalement
attribuables au Pastoral récent et au Camelin ancien.
Dans un lieu inaccessible sur la voûte de la grotte, bien
au-dessus de cet art connu, le traitement informatique
de taches roses non remarquées jusqu’à présent a révélé
des peintures dans les styles les plus anciens connus de
l’Ennedi, attribuables à la période archaïque.
Zenodo, 2017
The Sivré hill in the Ennedi, well-known for the two “Martians” discovered by Gérard Bailloud in ... more The Sivré hill in the Ennedi, well-known for the two “Martians” discovered by Gérard Bailloud in 1957, hosts in its shelters some paintings attributable to the pre-pastoral period, not surveyed at the time of the first reporting but only mentioned. In particular, the overlooked weathered paintings present in two secluded shelters southwest of Sivré IV, show that the site is richer of a diverse pre-pastoral art than it was possible to imagine from the previously published descriptions. The superimposition relations among these ancient paintings are consistent with the relative regional chronology proposed for the oldest painting styles in the Ennedi.
Zenodo, 2017
The existence in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï of paintings recalling the iconography of the famed Nio... more The existence in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï of paintings recalling the iconography of the famed Niola Doa petroglyphs was recognised at the time of the first reports, in the 90s. By scanning in 3D with a digital camera the already described evidence for a “Niola Doa culture” in this major site, a few but significant additional details are revealed.
Zenodo, 2016
The Chiguéou II site, located in the southwestern sector of the Ennedi, was first reported in 19... more The Chiguéou II site, located in the southwestern sector of
the Ennedi, was first reported in 1956 by Gérard Bailloud,
who documented two large engraved cattle figures, which
coats are decorated with intricate geometric motifs. These
monumental figures are not the sole rock art present at
Chiguéou II; this site hosts some more engraved cattle
figures remarkable for their large dimensions plus many
faded paintings attributable to the recent cattle and camel
periods, which were not published at the time of the first
reporting but deserve to be added to the inventory.
Zenodo
Chéïré-1 is a large painted shelter located in the SW sector of the Ennedi, east of the renewed W... more Chéïré-1 is a large painted shelter located in the SW sector of the Ennedi, east of the renewed Wadi Archeï guelta, particularly rich with fine paintings portraying the cattle herders who inhabited the region during the early Iron Age.
Chéïré-1 was discovered during the 1997 winter by Andrea Bonomo. Revisited in March 2014, the site was fully documented using cross-polarized flash lights, a basic photographic technique first introduced in rock art studies by Henderson (2002). In all, 485 motifs have been referenced and indexed after image enhancement by D-Stretch (Harman, 2002).
Chéïré-1 est un grand abri peint situé dans le secteur sud-ouest de l'Ennedi, à l'est de la célèbre guelta du Wadi Archeï, particulièrement riche de belles peintures dépeignant les éleveurs de bétail qui ont habité la région dans la premier âge du fer.
Sahara Journal 24, 2013
The Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the region between Wadi Qena and Wadi Barramya, is endowed of a r... more The Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the region between Wadi Qena and Wadi Barramya, is endowed of a rich rock art spanning through the ages as documented in a number of petroglyphs sites. Amazingly, very few rock art sites are known from the vast northern termination of this desert. The few published references relate to the Gebel Galala el Qibliya plateau only. Six open air sites, decorated with petroglyphs, were surveyed in the sandstone outcrops near the St Paul Monastery (Dittmann, 1990-1999); a single painted limestone cave was studied in Wadi Adayd (Hobbs & Goodman, 1995). To this very short inventory, four previously unreported sites were added during the 2012.
Sahara Journal, Jul 2012
Five previously unreported rock art sites were surveyed in the northern range of Jebel Arkenu. Pa... more Five previously unreported rock art sites were surveyed in the northern range of Jebel Arkenu. Particularly interesting among the noted paintings attributable to the Uweinat Cattle Pastoralists style are the first recognized examples of human figures carrying fringed shoulder bags. A large panel entirely attributable to the “Elongated Roundhead” style represents one of the most elaborate known artistic expressions to date of the earliest defined cultural period. Depictions of archers equipped with transverse arrowheads were noted in a shelter hosting many faded human figures, in part attributable to the Wadi Wahesh style. Giraffes and antelopes tethered to complex anchors feature a petroglyph site containing the most numerous and varied composition of tethered wild animal scenes ever found in the region.
Sahara Journal, Jul 2011
A number of previously unreported rock art sites have been surveyed in the Libyan sector of Jebel... more A number of previously unreported rock art sites have been surveyed in the Libyan sector of Jebel Uweinat. Among the new finds, particularly remarkable is the first documentation of archers equipped with transverse arrowheads. These depictions belong to one of the hunter-gatherer groups predating the cattle herders in settling the massif. We also noted rare pictorial evidence of back aprons in the wardrobe of pastoralist women, based on ethnographic evidence very likely worn by adolescent girls. The transformation of the western Uweinat natural landscape into a cultural landscape with painting compositions on rock surfaces lasted some millennia. The emerging spatial distribution of painted sites, although a taphonomic pattern, still preserves some information about this process. The art attributable to the first settlers established an early pattern that could have inspired later newcomers. The observed preferences in decorating specific rock surfaces, overhangs or sheltering boulders, corroborated by superimposition of several painting styles, could be explained in the context of land use and survival strategies implemented by the different groups.
In the decorated shelters of the south-western Ennedi, the appearance of a standardised iconograp... more In the decorated shelters of the south-western Ennedi, the appearance of a standardised iconography at the inception of the Metal Age marks the most visible stylistic discontinuity. The Manda China and Tamada sites possibly host the oldest examples of this art, relying on the recursive reproduction of humans in a standing pose with flexed arms and open hands. In the Tamada canon, modifications of this basic pose by simple rigid rotations of the whole body or part of it allowed for the representation of sleeping (or dead) humans and seated women.
lnternational Conference: What Ever Happened to the People? Humans and Anthropomorphs in the Rock... more lnternational Conference: What Ever Happened to the People?
Humans and Anthropomorphs in the Rock Art of Northern Africa - Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences, Brussels, 17- 19 September 2015
Alessandro Menardi Noguera, 2023
In 1934, the famous Hungarian explorer László Ede de Almásy organized his third and last expediti... more In 1934, the famous Hungarian explorer László Ede de Almásy organized his third and last expedition dedicated to the search for the legendary oasis of Zerzura in the Libyan Desert. The books by Almásy and Hansjoachim Von der Esch and the journalistic articles by Ugo Dadone and Hassan Sobhi narrate the expedition sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club d'Egypte and by the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram. Not destined for the general public, there is also a fifth story generated by the confidential documents of the Italian government that was interested in the diplomatic implications of the expedition through Egypt, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and Libya. These documents, conserved in the Historical Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also include a secret report by Ugo Dadone. This report describes in detail the journey of the motorized caravan led by Almásy. By reconstructing the history of the expedition and the reasons for Ugo Dadone's participation, a man of a thousand lives and a thousand adventures, the two reports are made available to the reader passionate about the Desert, the first surviving in a single copy made up of newspaper clippings, the second finally translated from Arabic. Therefore, Dadone and Sobhi's writings are accessible again almost a century later, in a completely transformed world, even in the silent depths of the Sahara In the Sahara, on the trail of Mister D.
LO SCIENZIATO ALPINISTA UMBERTO MONTERIN, 2018
Umberto Monterin (Gressoney-La-Trinité, 1887-1940) fu un vero figlio della montagna. Professore d... more Umberto Monterin (Gressoney-La-Trinité, 1887-1940) fu un vero figlio della montagna. Professore di geografia fisica alpina, ricercatore in diverse discipline quali la glaciologia e la climatologia, fu anche direttore degli Osservatori Meteorologici del Monte Rosa. Pubblicò oltre 60 articoli scientifici e ancora oggi è ricordato dagli studiosi di tutto il mondo come l'iniziatore della climatologia storica. Ampliò i suoi studi conducendo indagini sullo spopolamento montano e ricerche nelle regioni inesplorate del Sahara libico dove scoprì come i fattori che determinarono l'espansione glaciale alpina, abbiano agito anche alle più basse latitudini terrestri. Ben sintetizzano la straordinaria attività di Umberto Monterin le parole del prof. Augusto Biancotti: "É tutta la sua vita ad essere una realizzazione tenace e continua, sferzata dai venti turbinosi dei 4000 metri, esaltata dai silenzi solenni delle cime solitarie, illuminata dalla meditazione rievocativa e dalla deduzione tratta dal grande libro, eloquente per chi lo sa sfogliare, della Natura.
Flying over Zerzura, 2018
Scene – the southeast corner of the Libyan Desert in the early 1930s, with its recently discovere... more Scene – the southeast corner of the Libyan Desert in the early 1930s, with its recently discovered spectacular massifs and vast unmapped areas, animated by European expeditions looking for the mythical city of Zerzura and Italian militaries seeking to establish sovereignty over this freshly acquired corner of their colony. Behind the scenes all the ploys and parries of the diplomatic services trying to protect their own interests with their muted moves and mutual espionage.
By Alessandro Menardi Noguera, Jan 15, 2014
"The last expedition aimed at solving the mystery of the legendary lost oasis of Zerzura lead by ... more "The last expedition aimed at solving the mystery of the legendary lost oasis of Zerzura lead by Almàsy, the famed Hungarian explorer, was organized in 1934 with the sponsorship of the Royal Automobile Club of Egypt and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram. The scientific purpose of the expedition was to find the evidences of the origin of the Ancient Egytian religion in the prehistoric paintings discovered in the Gilf Kebir and Jebel Uweinat desert. It happened at a time when less than a dozen rock art sites were known! The official scientific reasons of the expedition were described in the extensive reportage written in Arabic by the journalist Hassan Sobhi. As an expert in the history and art of the Ancient Egypt, his mission was to report the expedition results to the Egyptian public. The Swiss architect Heinrich de Heller was hired as a professional painter and surveyed the rock art sites visited by the team. Later on, Almasy published in his books and writings the Heller’s watercolors without the proper credits, letting his readers to believe he was the author.
The Almasy’s anecdotic narrative of the expedition mislead his Europeans readers, suggesting his companions, described as socialites, were interested in desert tourism only.
The RACE-Al-Ahram Expedition to the Libyan Desert was described in very different ways by Almásy (in Hungarian/German), Hans Joachim Von der Esch (in German), Ugo Dadone (in Italian) and Hassan Sobhi (in Arabic).
The book comprehends the Ugo Dadone’s reportage and his secret report to the Italian Foreign Office; along with the extended reportage by Hassan Sobhi published in twenty-four Al-Ahram issues (first translation from the Arabic to the Italian).
The incredible, adventurous Ugo Dadone’s biography is also included.
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Authors: Roberto Chiarvetto, Alessandro Menardi Noguera, Michele Soffiantini. 1932. La “febb... more Authors: Roberto Chiarvetto, Alessandro Menardi Noguera, Michele Soffiantini.
1932. La “febbre” dell’oasi di Zerzura colpisce i più grandi esploratori desertici europei: gli inglesi Ralph Alger Bagnold, Patrick Andrew Clayton e Sir Robert Clayton-East-Clayton, l’ungherese László Ede Almásy… le loro missioni, minuziosamente descritte nel prestigioso Geographical Journal, periodico della Reale Società Geografica britannica, si svolgono alla ricerca della perduta oasi nelle sabbie del Sahara Libico e attorno all’altopiano del Gilf Kebir in Egitto, da pochissimi anni scoperto in una delle “zone vuote” della cartografia del Nord Africa. La passione per le terre inesplorate, la scoperta di luoghi sconosciuti, il ritrovamento di moltissime testimonianze preistoriche e la definizione di tracciati percorribili in auto dove neppure i cammelli riescono ad avventurarsi, danno origine ad un periodo di esplorazioni sahariane che continua sino ad oggi. Allora, agli scopi prettamente topografici e scientifici, erano associati inevitabilmente aspetti strategico-militari, legati alla definizione dei confini ancora inesistenti o non ben definiti con la nuova Colonia italiana della Libia. Le imprese di questi esploratori e le loro pubblicazioni sono ben note a tutti gli studiosi del deserto, soprattutto nel mondo anglosassone che diede i natali alla maggior parte di essi, ed al grande pubblico attraverso la storia del “paziente inglese” che proprio da queste vicende trasse ispirazione.
Tuttavia, nel quasi totale oblìo delle fonti, anche personaggi italiani ebbero un ruolo molto importante in questa ricerca. Non si trattava però di esploratori nel senso convenzionale del termine, come le loro controparti inglesi, oppure come il nostro ben noto Ardito Desio. Si trattava di personale militare, di grande esperienza in Colonia, soprattutto dell’Aeronautica ma anche dell’Esercito. Questi uomini, con grande sprezzo del pericolo insito in esplorazioni aeree e terrestri in zone mai percorse dall’uomo, con scarsissime possibilità di soccorso in caso di necessità, eseguirono gli ordini loro assegnati svolgendo missioni segrete per conto dell’Amministrazione coloniale, per tenere d’occhio gli esploratori inglesi e per acquisire la necessaria conoscenza del territorio in questione. La scoperta di un’oasi sconosciuta e di ricche sorgenti d’acqua, come veniva tramandato nelle leggende di Zerzura, avrebbe avuto una rilevanza strategica per gli avamposti italiani circondati dal deserto della zona meridionale della Libia, al punto che presero parte alle missioni i più alti ufficiali presenti sul posto, i Comandanti dell’Aviazione della Cirenaica e della Zona Militare di Cufra.
Nel novembre 1932 una missione italiana eseguì una ricognizione segretissima dell’area settentrionale del Gilf Kebir, soltanto pochi mesi dopo il primo ed unico sorvolo di Sir Robert Clayton-East-Clayton, per prima raggiungendola anche via terra da Cufra ed effettuando rilievi cartografici e fotografici sopravvissuti sino ai nostri giorni. Questa è la storia di quella missione segreta, degli uomini che la compirono, della corrispondenza fra Ministeri e reparti coloniali che la prepararono nei minimi dettagli rendendola possibile. È la storia delle incredibili missioni per la costituzione dei presidi ad Auenàt e Sarra e del sorvolo del Tibesti e dell’Ennedi che la precedettero e del secondo sorvolo sul Gilf Kebir che ebbe luogo nel 1933, per spiare una missione inglese. Due anni di missioni ineguagliate, svolte da uomini d’eccezione con a disposizione gli strumenti migliori del tempo: gli affidabili aeroplani Ro.1, i nuovi autocarri 6x4 Fiat 611, le vetture Fiat 514 e le macchine fotografiche O.M.I.
È la storia di ciò che rimane oggi, dai ricordi, fotografie e cimeli delle famiglie dei piloti e degli osservatori, ai documenti d’archivio reperiti con una minuziosa e pluriennale ricerca, al relitto d’aeroplano che ancora riposa nel deserto libico, dopo aver preso parte proprio all’ultima di quelle missioni segrete.
Il libro include un’approfondita disamina dei mezzi utilizzati nelle missioni, mai trattati sino ad oggi in tale dettaglio nella pubblicistica italiana o estera. Vengono presentate specifiche tecniche, fotografie e disegni di fabbrica, oltre ad informazioni tratte dai manuali originali, estratti dai contratti di acquisto con le case costruttrici, fino alle caratteristiche di guida o pilotaggio presenti nei rapporti e nelle relazioni di valutazione dell’epoca. Parimenti viene descritta in profondità la biografia dei protagonisti, grazie ai documenti di servizio ed al materiale fornito dalle famiglie, riportando alla luce la vita di personaggi italiani e stranieri in massima parte dimenticati ma meritevoli della più grande attenzione.
The 3D survey of the Manda China shelter and a few other reference sites located in the southwest... more The 3D survey of the Manda China shelter and a few other reference sites located in the southwestern sector of the Ennedi, allowed for a redefinition of the Tamada style, starting from the analysis of its early manifestations. The images here provided complement with the analysis of the stylistic innovations introduced in the Ennedi art tradition with the Tamada style, discussed in the main paper presented at the 20th International Rock Art Congress IFRAO 2018 in Valcamonica.
Zenodo, 2017
Paintings attributable to the recent "Bovine" and recent Camel periods decorate five small shelte... more Paintings attributable to the recent "Bovine" and recent Camel periods decorate five small shelters carved into the rocky sides of the Amilianga trail, south of the Eli-1 rock art site. The most interesting motifs in the inventory comprehend women with bell-shaped hairstyles in Eli-2, women dancing hands in hands in Amlianga-2 and a human figure with an animal-shaped head in Amilianga-3. Well-polished engravings of camels with the humps schematised as triangles are also present in the open, at the entrance of the Amilianga-2 shelter.
The 3D model of the Archeï-2 archaic paintings now available on the Sketchfab portal is the resul... more The 3D model of the Archeï-2 archaic paintings now available on the Sketchfab portal is the result of a new photographic acquisition, carried out in 2017. During the acquisition process, some previously unseen small human figures painted in solid red entered in the inventory. These schematic humans represent the oldest paintings in the relative chronology of the Ennedi identified so far.
3D models of the elephant and cattle engraved on the sides of the Chiguéou II natural arch have b... more 3D models of the elephant and cattle engraved on the sides of the Chiguéou II natural arch have been developed by close range photogrammetry and uploaded to Sketchfab.
The rock art site of Baradergolo I is home to many paintings, recorded mainly by direct tracing i... more The rock art site of Baradergolo I is home to many paintings, recorded mainly by direct tracing in 1957. A new digital photographic survey of the entire site has confirmed the excellent quality of these historical reproductions, revealing further details and completing the inventory of existing paintings, most of which date from the Final Cattle and Ancient Camel periods. The earliest paintings consist of a few faded paintings from the early pastoral or archaic periods and a single Hohou style figure.