397

Site
Site name
09/080A
Description

A boulder located along the Wadi Raharmellen, east of the confluence with the Wadi Amatus. The boulder’s vertical surfaces contain numerous petroglyphs from different periods on five panels. Panel 1 is the largest one and includes a palimpsest of petroglyphs: the older layer at the bottom shows carved domestic and wild bovids. These bovids are partially covered by later layers of petroglyphs, both figurative - camels and horses with riders and ostriches – and Tifinagh and Arabic inscriptions. Panel 2contains a pecked Barbary sheep on the left, a large quadruped (a cow or a wild bovid?) possibly associated with a human figure, and a recently pecked petroglyph probably representing a boat. Panel 3 displays a pecked giraffe moving toward the left. Panel 4 contains a nearly invisible lightly carved giraffe facing left, the heavily eroded lower body part of a human figure facing right, at least five carved cows facing right, and a few Tifinagh inscriptions. Panel 5, beneath Panel 4, contains the figure of a carved and pecked goat. The archaeological deposit is partially preserved, and archaeological materials (pottery) are scattered around the site. 2 contains several zoomorphic figures including three ostriches and four camels. The second surface is a flat area containing four panels at different heights. The uppermost panel (Panel 1) is above Surface 1 and includes one pecked camel and Tifinagh inscriptions that extend on the adjacent panel. These petroglyphs partially cover a pecked flock of ostriches progressing toward the base of the surface, thus forming a complex palimpsest with at least four layers of petroglyphs.
A group of ostriches with medium varnish – covered by a layer with at least four cattle, two giraffes, and more ostriches in different styles – lies at the bottom of the sequence. The third layer comprises fully pecked ostriches and anthropomorphic figures. The last layer includes Tifinagh inscriptions and highly schematic camels. Other Tifinagh inscriptions, ostensibly more eroded, are located on a third surface near the lowest portion of the wall.