Photo Gallery

Wadi Mathendous. Habeter II - Bubalinic Era. This bovine with monumental horns was contemporary with the Neolithic and disappeared with it. This specimen is equipped with two tails. The scale of the pictured Bubalus is derived from the distance between the tips of its horns: 72 centimetres. Note the small, older (?) ostrich between the horns. - Libya - 1969

In the lower part of the Oued Tagueït - Punched giraffe and ostriches on boulders. Height of the stone: 0.50 m. - Aïr - Niger - 2002

22 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Pastoral Period. An elephant, with noticeable feet and a vertical line across the middle of its belly. Another antelopine. A schematic ostrich made with a single line. Height of the elephant: 0.40 m.

28 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Stippled giraffe and ostriches on a rockslide. Height of the rock: 0.50 m.

29 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Very schematic stippled engravings. The central figure does not clearly evoke equids. To its right, a figure with a bi-triangular garment and a head in an inverted U-shape. The central figure is 0.70 m tall.

30 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Figures with "ant head" (equids) set against a background of animals (domesticated?). Note the spears and round shields. The animals measure between 0.30 and 0.40 m in height.

32 - Tagueït moyen (Aïr). - Four very schematic and very recent ostriches. The tallest is 0.37 m high.

35 - Tagueït haut (Aïr). - Giraffes, bovids, rhinoceroses, and ostriches intertwine and overlap in this fresco, where wild species seem to dominate.

42 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Fresco depicting giraffes, an elephant, ostriches, and an ox. The important site of Tagueït does not offer any truly ancient engravings. The wildlife is still significant, but the arrival of foreign ethnic groups often makes it difficult to attribute them to a specific culture.

45 - Tanakom (Aïr). - From the same period: giraffes, ostrich, shepherd touching a bovine. The engravers were interested in all smooth surfaces.

54 - Large fresco from Anakom (Aïr). - A well-observed rider, oryx, antelopes, ostriches, Tifinars show the continuity of mankind since the arrival of the "equids". The animal with a diamond-shaped coat is 0.47 m long. The large antelope on the right is 0.52 m long.

86 - Enneri Domo, Arkana site. - Chariot period. Ostrich, oxen, giraffe; tifinars, sheep or goats. On the cart, whose wheels with four spokes are depicted in a "flattened" manner, the central yoke ends in a small crossbar. The floor is reduced to a flat triangle. The rock has a height of 1.77 meters.

149 - Oued Mathendous. In Habeter II. - Period of the "bubale". A large figure with an animal head and a tail is in a variation of the "Bès position". This ithyphallic figure is accompanied by a smaller replica placed to the right. The magical character of this scene is likely linked to fertility invocations, at a time when the Sahara was already threatened by drought. Note the beautiful ostrich at the center right. From the right foot to the tip of the ear: 1.08 m.

150 - Oued Mathendous. In Habeter III. - Period of the "bubale". A large giraffe, appearing massive but with precise anatomy. Engraving with deep and regular strokes. Below, a very schematic ostrich, perhaps later. Its presumed head is adjacent to a depiction of a trap. The circle above might be a representation of a jellyfish. The "trap" has a diameter of 0.63 m.

157 - Oued Mathendous. ln Habeter II. - The central figure may have been altered (belt, oversized sex). It is followed by an ostrich. In front of it, various much younger engravings: ostrich, human, antelopes. To the left, birds. Width of the depicted panel: 2.10 m.

186 - Oued Mathendous. In Habeter III. - Bubaline period. Ostriches in a circle. Six birds, identifiable by their heads, but only the legs of the first one are visible. The bird at the bottom left is from the same period. A more recent human figure is sketched at the bottom right.

192 - Oued Mathendous. In Habeter II. - Ostrich engraved by puncturing. From the top of the head to the legs: 0.70 m in height.

253 - Moghar et-Taghtani (Algeria). - Beneath a finely engraved small bovine and two ostriches below its head, a curious being with its legs folded and open in a praying position. The vertical lines crossing the body remain unexplained. One must accept that the intention of the (or the) engraver cannot be revealed. Head diameter: 0.12 m.

255 - Thyout (Algeria). - A scene that shocked many at the end of the 19th century. It is now referred to as "The Hunting Lesson". In fact, at the top of this Neolithic engraving, there is a "placental bond" linking a mythical being with a hunter aiming at an ostrich followed by a dog. Between the "god" and the "creature" is a small, undefined ungulate. This is a scene of fertility invocation. The three engraved scenes below are of the same nature. On the far right of the photo, the hindquarters of a large bovine. The large figure at the bottom left measures 0.64 m in height.

280 - Col d'Amoggiar (Mauritania). - Ostrich painted in yellowish-white. From head to feet: 0.09 m in height.

388 - Oued Djérat (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Herd of ostriches, deeply engraved. The animals are roughly depicted. These birds might explain the feathers often found in the headgear of men.

389 - Oued Djérat (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Superficially dotted ostrich. There is evidence that the ostrich survived long beyond the fertile period.

415 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Stylized birds. Based on their thighs, they are probably ostriches. The legs are painted with red ochre. The contours of the body are indicated by a thick white line.

416 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Body of an ostrich painted in white, preceded by a young ostrich. Width of the panel: 2.55 m.

590 - Tin-Terhert (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - These engraved ostriches stand out clearly from the usual awkwardness of artists who have attempted to reproduce them. Only the attachment of the beak to the head is not well rendered. From the right foot to the left head: 0.40 m.

643 - Enneri Bardagué (Tibesti). - Three ostriches dotted and schematized. The one on the left is 0.42 m in height.