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Kel Essuf Period

Some Kel Essuf engravings at Iberdjen Wan Tabarakat

Kel Essuf rock art is the earliest form of engraved anthropomorphic Central Saharan rock art,[1] which was produced prior to 9800 BP,[2] at least as early as 12,000 BP amid the late period of the Pleistocene.[3] The Kel Essuf Period is preceded by the Bubaline Period and followed by the Round Head Period.[2] Kel Essuf rock art usually depicts oval-shaped artforms, which possess four short appendages – two upper appendages, or arms, that may have between three and four finger-like digits, and two lower appendages, or legs – as well as an additional appendage, or penile appendage, without finger-like digits, which may be indicative of maleness.[4] Concealed remnants of dismantled furnished flooring are found in 75% of the Central Saharan rockshelters where Kel Essuf rock artforms are found.[5] The furnished flooring in these rockshelters were likely created for the purpose of collecting water and were subsequently dismantled after the earliest Round Head rock art began to be created.[5] The Kel Essuf rock art tradition of engraving may have developed into[1] the monumental[6] Round Head rock art tradition of painting.[1] Round Head rock art bears considerable similarity with traditional Sub-Saharan African cultures.[7][8][1][9]

  1. ^ a b c d Soukopova, Jitka (16 January 2013). Round Heads: The Earliest Rock Paintings in the Sahara. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 38, 105. ISBN 9781443845793. OCLC 826685273.
  2. ^ a b Soukopova, Jitka (August 2017). "Central Saharan rock art: Considering the kettles and cupules". Journal of Arid Environments. 143: 10–12. Bibcode:2017JArEn.143...10S. doi:10.1016/J.JARIDENV.2016.12.011. ISSN 0140-1963. OCLC 7044514678. S2CID 132225521.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Aïn-Séba was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Soukopova, Jitka (September 2015). "Similarity between Round-Head Paintings and Kel Essuf Engravings". What Ever Happened to the People? Humans and Anthropomorphs in the Rock Art of Northern Africa. Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences: 173, 175–177, 179. ISBN 978-90-756-5260-4. OCLC 1091181355.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Ferhat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Di Lernia, Savino (June 2013). "Places, monuments, and landscape: Evidence from the Holocene central Sahara". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 48 (2): 178. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2013.788867. hdl:11573/514585. S2CID 162877973.
  7. ^ Soukopova, Jitka (September 2015). "Tassili Paintings: Ancient roots of current African beliefs?". Expression: 116–119. ISSN 2499-1341.
  8. ^ Soukopova, Jitka (September 2015). "Round Heads: Religion and spirituality of ancient central Saharan hunters". What Ever Happened to the People? Humans and Anthropomorphs in the Rock Art of Northern Africa. Royal Academy For Overseas Sciences: 8, 14. ISBN 978-90-756-5260-4. OCLC 1091181355.
  9. ^ Soukopova, Jitka (March 2016). "Leading role of male hunters in Central Saharan prehistoric rituals". Expression: 68–71. ISSN 2499-1341.

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