Ellie Hobba

Elective History

Mr Dessmann

The Cave of Beasts Wadi Sura, Gilf

Kebir, Egypt.
The Cave of Beasts was discovered in 2002. Located in the Gilf Kebir
plateau in Egypts desert, this cave is one of the most spectacular
prehistoric sites of the African continent due to its richness and variety that
extends over an 18 metre wide and six metre high canvas. It is the most
heavily decorated known rock cave in the Sahara. The cave is known as the
Cave of Beasts due to the strange headless creatures that adorn its walls .

Details of the Site

The Cave of Beasts rear rock wall bears more than 7000 images of wellpreserved painted figures, petroglyphs and mysterious headless beasts.
These are said to be 8000 years old and created by hunter-gatherers in the
early Neolithic period.
Rudolph Kuper, a German archaeologist, used absolute dating to conclude
that the site must be at least 8,000 years old. Both the swimming figures
and animals contributed greatly to dating the cave. The figures portrayed
in the cave are found in groups dancing, swimming and hunting . Hundreds
of hand stencils are scattered through the cave and most likely signify a
ritual. The groups of hunters with bows and arrows illustrated on the sites
walls, indicate the art was created by hunter-gatherers. The dancing figures
are understood to be partaking in a ritual. The swimming figures suggest
the prior large amounts of water in the area, indicating that the paintings
were created in the Holocene period. This period is explained by Kuper, who
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investigated the seasonal rainfall that once appeared in the region .

Beginning in about 8500 BC, the climate attracted hunter-gatherers to the
area. By 5300 BC, the rains had stopped and human population began to
recede, 2000 years later the settlements disappeared entirely . Animals
such as elephants, ostriches, gazelles and giraffes adorn the cave walls,
both painted and engraved into rocks. It seems that the paintings of the
Cave of Beasts predate the introduction of domesticated animals . That
means they predate 6000 BC," said Rudolph Kuper on dating the cave art .
The most stunning and enigmatic feature of the cave is the headless
creatures. The beasts capture the attention of visitors due to their large
oddly shaped body size. With long raised tails, and bull-like bodies, their
two or three legs were in contrast quite human like. Although the
mysterious animals were headless, humans appear to be swallowed or
offered to them. As the strange beasts appear to be both human and
animal, they are labelled therianthropic, and suggest that the ritual the
dancing figures are involved in is most likely shamanic. Shamanism is when
a specific tribal person enters an altered state of mind and is regarded as
having access to the spiritual world.

Creation of the Rock Art

The Cave of Beasts is filled with thousands of pictographs and hand
stencils that have been made with red, yellow, white and black pigment, as
well as numerous petroglyphs that primarily feature animals.

Ellie Hobba

Elective History

Mr Dessmann

The red and yellow pigment was made with ochre (oaka), a mineral found
near clay. The red pigment is quite frequently used as it is easier and more
common to find. The white pigment used in various sections of the wall was
derived from silica glass. It is typically the scarcest pigment, however, is
featured numerous times in the Cave of Beasts as it is found in large
regions of sandy desert, such as the Sahara Desert . The black pigment was
obtained from charcoal from nearby campfire sites. Each pigment shade
was mixed with water in order to bind the mixture and make it easier to
apply. Although most rock art images were made in just one colour, the
Cave of Beasts depicts examples of bichromy paintings, meaning two
colours are used. The multitude of hand stencils found in the cave are
described as negative handprints. To create this technique, the artist
placed their hand on the rock surface and blew paint through a hollow reed
to produce a stencil effect. The petroglyphs found in the Cave of Beasts
were crafted by lines cut and scratched into the rock with a sharp tool . In
2009, archaeologists excavated and uncovered more than fifty microlithic
elements that were distinctive in the Wadi Sura age, majority of these
fragments were arrow heads, making them the most probable tool .

Meaning and purpose of the Rock Art

The Cave of Beasts provides a rich insight into an ancient cultural world .
Archaeologists argue that the art found in the cave relates to the origins of
ancient Egyptian religion.
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In a project that took place in the Wadi Sura region in 2009, a group of
archaeologists compared some features of the Cave of Beasts with
elements of ancient Egyptian civilisation.
Evidence to the similarities of both civilisations is exposed in one of the
most important scenes in the Cave of Beasts featuring a large figure of a
composite body painted white. It is a combination of beasts legs and a
female torso. The head is missing. The figure is leaning against the ground
in a way similar to later depictions of the goddess of the sky, Nut, in ancient
Egypt. As for the earth, it is rendered as a red figure of a male, which
supports the body of the white creature, leaning on his right elbow . His legs
are unnaturally long and nine men are depicted walking on them . In their
hands they carry items resembling joints of meat, carried in a similar
fashion as those offered in Egyptian tombs from the Old Kingdom .
However, the basis of such conclusions was the process of taking singular
elements from both civilisations to consider only the similarities, whilst
ignoring the differences. Such a link is not entirely implausible; but, at
present there is no evidence to support it.

Significance of the Rock Art

The Cave of Beasts is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the
Sahara as it is rich in culture and art and a debatable influence in regards to
ancient Egyptian religion.
This rock art is a testimonial recount of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the
Wadi Sura region depicted through paintings and engravings. The
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thousands of pictographs and petroglyphs offer an understanding into the

shamanistic beliefs practiced by this ancient civilisation, giving a
meaningful significance to the unique headless beasts and highlighting the
similarities of ancient Egyptian art.
The depictions in this cave are strongly believed to be the predecessor of
ancient Egyptian religion, with the similarities between each outweighing
mere coincidence. Perhaps the ancient Egyptian civilisation was more
selective in adopting the Cave of Beasts ideology, choosing only the
designs that were emotionally and visually pleasing.
The Cave of Beasts is a site of mystery; rich in history, culture and art.
Did this area initiate other civilisations or are people just looking to find
similarities? This will continue to be a mote point of contention, but in my
opinion the data collected does confirm that this civilisation, through its
rock art, the Cave of Beasts, were indeed inspirational role models to
following civilisations.

Bibliography
[Review of] Wadi Sura - The Cave of Beasts. A rock art site in the Gilf Kebir
(SW-Egypt), by Rudolph Kuper | Dirk Huyge - Academia.edu. 2015. [Review
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at: http://www.academia.edu/8026260/_Review_of_Wadi_Sura__The_Cave_of_Beasts._A_rock_art_site_in_the_Gilf_Kebir_SWEgypt_by_Rudolph_Kuper.
Wadi Sura - The Cave of Beasts. 2015. Wadi Sura - The Cave of Beasts.
[ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fjexpeditions.com/frameset/beasts.htm.
Wadi Sura II - The "Cave of Beasts". 2015. Wadi Sura II - The "Cave of
Beasts". [ONLINE] Available at: http://wadisura.phil-fak.unikoeln.de/7264.html?&L=1.

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Cave of Beasts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Cave of Beasts Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Beasts.
Sahara cave may hold clues to dawn of Egypt | Reuters . 2015. Sahara cave
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British Museum - African rock art image project. 2015. British Museum African rock art image project. [ONLINE] Available at:
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The Cave of the Headless Beasts, Wadi Sora, Gilf Kebir, Egypt (also called
Wadi Sora or Sura II, Ab Rs Shelter and Foggini-Mestekawi Cave). 2015.
The Cave of the Headless Beasts, Wadi Sora, Gilf Kebir, Egypt (also called
Wadi Sora or Sura II, Ab Rs Shelter and Foggini-Mestekawi Cave) .
[ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.duncancaldwell.com/Site/Rock_Art_Photos/Pages/Cave_of_the_H
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James, T.G.H, 1997. Egypt Revealed. London: Folio Society.

Ellie Hobba

Elective History

Mr Dessmann