Rock Engravings and Paintings
Rock art in Algeria dates back to the Neolithic era and therefore dates back to at least 10,000 BC. The desert is rich in many frescoes and drawings which express the artistic skills of the inhabitants of this period.
The stages that rock art underwent in prehistoric times are determined by the themes presented and the artistic and technical methods used in its implementation according to various elements such as production techniques, modes of representation, the themes represented, and the staging, which is as follows:
Bubaline period – large dimensions:
This stage is characterized by the representations of large wild animals in an elaborate natural style, such as buffalos, elephants, hippos, lions, ostriches, as well as the human representations accompanying these animals.
Bubaline period – small dimensions:
This stage includes all depictions of wild animals similar to the previous stage (buffalos, elephants, hippos, bighorn sheep, cows, horses, and antelopes), but in smaller sizes and a skillful natural style, except that the extremities of the limbs of the animals are represented abnormally stretched out.
Decadent Bubaline period:
The depictions, performed with simplicity in a semi-natural style of varying neatness and realism, included human figures, ostriches, lions, cows, and antelopes.
Bovidian period:
It includes the depictions of animal figures of small dimensions, in a semi-natural style, where the domesticated bull is largely represented, in a simple style, lacking in realism and precision, as well as the elephants, the ostriches, and the antelopes. The human representations in small dimensions remain rare and poorly executed.
The recent period
This stage is more recent, it comes after the buffalo period, and includes representations depicting chariots, oxen, antelopes, and ostriches in a schematic style, as well as human representations in a schematic style.
Description: Rock fragments, painted or engraved representing human silhouettes and animals of African wildlife: oxen, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, antelopes, lions, etc.
Material: Rocks