Two Southern African rock art sites as indicators of ancient migratory routes
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Date
2012
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[s.l]
Abstract
A recently rediscovered rock art site at Farm Hornkranz-South in the Khomas Hochland of Namibia presents a close resemblance to the Fallen Rock site at Bushman's Kloof in the Cederberg of South Africa. This discovery may well point to early San migration up the river systems from the Western Cape via Namaqualand and the Orange River to the interior of Namibia. If a migration hypothesis can be archeologically expounded by means of, for instance, pot shards, lithic assemblage, or by linguistics, then the same should be possible by means of rock paintings, especially in the case of ones so convincingly similar as those from the two sites under consideration. It may here be productive to analyse the two sets of paintings, not only in terms of age, placement, symbolism and orientation, but also in terms of artistic style and aesthetics, in order to explore a cultural (art-historical) connection. Although the aesthetic approach may not solve the symbolic problems of ancient rock art, it may well be of use in indicating relatedness between artistic styles, and time/space. Traces of a cultural relationship, as evidenced through styles of art, would then necessitate a closer look at river systems as possible arteries for migration in pre-Historic southern Africa.
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Van Rooyen, P. H. (2012). Two Southern African Rock Art Sites as Indicators of Ancient Migratory Routes. Rock Art Research Journal, Volume 29 Number 2.