LXXᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – LXᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Central Sahara, west of the Ennedi
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Round Head style is an early Saharan rock-art tradition featuring engravings and, especially, paintings of large, often faceless human figures with rounded heads, alongside wild animals such as giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, ostriches, and giant buffalo. It began before 6000 BC and may have ended during the sixth millennium BC. Its makers are uncertain but may have included pottery-using hunters, fishermen, and early animal herders.
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Le récit
In parts of the Sahara, the Large Wild Fauna or Bubalis phase was followed by the Round Head style. This tradition includes some engravings but is particularly associated with paintings, apparently among the earliest in North Africa. Its human figures are often gigantic, with rounded and usually faceless heads that may be horned or masked.
The imagery combines these enigmatic human forms with wild animals, including giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, ostriches, and occasionally the giant buffalo. The style was not distributed across the entire Sahara: the excerpt states that it is absent east of the Ennedi in Chad. Its beginnings lie well before 6000 BC, and it may have been replaced during the sixth millennium by the Bovidian Pastoral phase.
The identity and economy of the artists remain uncertain. They may have belonged to groups classified archaeologically as Neolithic of Sudanese Tradition, using pottery while hunting and fishing, herding some goats and perhaps cattle, and possibly cultivating plants in an incipient form. The style therefore occupies an important but unresolved position between mobile foraging and emerging pastoral lifeways.
LXXᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – LXᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Central Sahara, west of the Ennedi
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Round Head style is an early Saharan rock-art tradition featuring engravings and, especially, paintings of large, often faceless human figures with rounded heads, alongside wild animals such as giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, ostriches, and giant buffalo. It began before 6000 BC and may have ended during the sixth millennium BC. Its makers are uncertain but may have included pottery-using hunters, fishermen, and early animal herders.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
In parts of the Sahara, the Large Wild Fauna or Bubalis phase was followed by the Round Head style. This tradition includes some engravings but is particularly associated with paintings, apparently among the earliest in North Africa. Its human figures are often gigantic, with rounded and usually faceless heads that may be horned or masked.
The imagery combines these enigmatic human forms with wild animals, including giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, ostriches, and occasionally the giant buffalo. The style was not distributed across the entire Sahara: the excerpt states that it is absent east of the Ennedi in Chad. Its beginnings lie well before 6000 BC, and it may have been replaced during the sixth millennium by the Bovidian Pastoral phase.
The identity and economy of the artists remain uncertain. They may have belonged to groups classified archaeologically as Neolithic of Sudanese Tradition, using pottery while hunting and fishing, herding some goats and perhaps cattle, and possibly cultivating plants in an incipient form. The style therefore occupies an important but unresolved position between mobile foraging and emerging pastoral lifeways.
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