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Site and People records
Twyfelfontein 534 IX
Site

Brief description of site: There is another, smaller flat living area immediately south of NAM TWT8. Though less expansive, this area is a very localised landscape with many rock blocs, passage-like spaces and an amazing echo. On the western edge, this area is defined by the most huge upstanding rock blocs at NAM TWT.

The painted Affenblock, which has the single rock painting, was excavated by dr. Eric Wendt, who found sparse cultural remains to a depth of about 300 mm. There are stone tools and ostrich eggshell fragments visible in most places as well as stone alignments that may represent Khoekhoen hut circles.
Brief description of art: This area has a single Bushman rock paintings, over 250 Bushman rock engravings and perhaps 40 Khoekhoen rock engravings. There are numerous findspots, 8 of which are mentioned here.

Upslope giraffe site: High up on the western slope of the valley side is an upright sandstone slab on which there is a very clear giraffe pecked in deep outline and partial infill. Two other partial pecked-infill giraffe are placed to the right of this giraffe as well as a fourth, smaller animal. The visible giraffe may have been re-pecked.

Affenblock: In the centre of the living area is a small rock shelter with an ocular passageway connecting the two lobes of the larger site's living area. In this rock shelter there is a single 400 mm human figure in a standing/walking posture painted in red. 2 m opposite this Bushman rock painting on a vertical shelter wall is a collection of engraved imagery comprising fine pecked-infill broad-horned antelope, 11 ostrich, a feline spoor with claws extended, a human figure, giraffe and 22 cupules arranged in two parallel rows. These cupules are between 26 mm - 35 mm in diameter and between 3.5 mm - 8 mm deep.

East & north of Affenblock: All around the Affenblock, especially to the east, are many engravings that are dominated by ostrich, at least 3 of which have feet shown in a twisted perspective as though they were spoor. There is a lot of spoor imagery; especially antelope and giraffe. Most of the engravings have been depicted in fine pecked-infill, sometimes with a deeper outline. Giraffe also feature prominently, with a particularly good example being found on the back, eastern side of the large rock bloc. On top of this rock bloc there are also giraffe engravings, spoor and zebra. To the north and west of the Affenblock on a 65° sloping sandstone block are some very good giraffe engravings; one of which as a triple wavy line associated with its head. To the left is a very fine engraved and abraded and polished giraffe spoor 115 mm x 70 mm. More spoor, equids, antelope, and wavy lines fill up this rock slab. Closer to the overhang are some zebras in pecked-infill with clear mane hairs.

South of (behind) Affenblock: Beyond the small ocular passageway in the painted rock shelter the imagery is dominated by spoor. Behind the shelter there is a series of over a dozen antelope spoor very careful engraved in fine pecked-infill, about 1.6 m - 2 m above the present surface level. There are three antelope, 1 human and 1 equid spoor here. Turning to the west and south, high up on the back (eastern) side of one of the huge Reisenblock upstanding slabs at least 3 m off the present surface level there 7 pecked-infill human footprints with 5 toes each. These footprint engravings are very big - over 400 mm. There are also 6 antelope spoor, 2 equid spoor and 3 feline pug marks.

Khoekhoen shelter: North and slightly east of the Affenblock is a high and open rock shelter. Facing this shelter is a sloping slab on which antelope, ostrich, giraffe and rhino have been engraved, somewhat roughly. Within the shelter on a lower frieze there are 4 rough pecked-infill rhino and 2 rough pecked-infill equids. Above this frieze on a more-than-vertical ceiling area is a series of joined rough pecked-outline circles, identical to joined finger-painted such 'honeycomb' motifs found in the Khoekhoen finger- painted tradition elsewhere in southern Africa.

Oryx-spoor panels: Both behind the Affenblock between it and the Reisenblock as well as on a large 35° sloping slab downslope and to the north and west of the Reisenblock two almost identical motifs are engraved. In each case, in a light pecked-infill there is engraved an oryx with prominent horns. In both instances, the oryx's feet end in twisted perspective spoor, with the downslope oryx having two cupules on either side of each leg. It seems as if the other oryx also has these cupules, perhaps representing hock marks.

Reisenblock: On the western side of the huge upstanding rock blocs (the largest at Twyfelfontein) with passageways known as the 'Reisenblock' there is a large vertical engraved panel in two parts separated by a large, probably collapsed, rock slab. The smaller, left hand side panel is 'protected' by a small engraved panel on the ground on which are engraved in fairly coarse pecked-infill 4 ostrich, one of which has feet that end in twisted perspective spoor, some disembodied pecked-infill animal heads, a circular motif and lines. The left hand panel has engraved on in a very fine pecked-outline, pecked-infill and partial pecked-infill the so-called 'sitting giraffe', a bird-like image and a detailed zebra with mane hairs. There is a 5-toed feline pug mark with extended claws and also an equid spoor. Other, less finely engraved animals on this panel include an ostrich, 3 antelope, a circular outline. The right hand side panel has many engravings such as the odd rhino-antelope animal in punctate pecked-infill. There is also an elephant in a similar punctate pecked-infill. There is a row of giraffe with deeply engraved pecked-infill crescent bodies. Two lean felines, perhaps cheetah or leopard are engraved in addition to 2 other felines. There is a small pecked-infill rhino with a very long wiggly horn. There is also oryx, a second row of giraffe and lots of spoor - dominated by a large punctate-infill giraffe spoor as well as equid, feline and antelope. Two oryx have twisted perspective spoor-feet.

Below Reisenblock: Immediately below the vertical engraved panel are two huge collapsed rock slabs at steep 40° to 50° angles there are engraved antelope, many giraffe - including a very large one -, equids a large punctate-infill elephant, ostrich and spoor.

Twyfelfontein 534 IV
Site

Brief description of site: On the same contour and approximately 150 m south-west of the NAM TWT3, also sandwiched between the riverbed and valley sides is a large, dark upright boulder against which another leans on it lower part. The upright boulder faces onto the valley.

There are sparsely scattered hornfels and quartzite flakes on the surface but seems not to have been a living site and perhaps more of a 'marker' site, highlighting or nuancing a route.
Brief description of art: There is a 1.9 m x 2.53 m image cluster that consists of 2 giraffe in a fine and partial pecked infill with little weathering and relatively fresh-looking. Is a possible third and less fine giraffe. 2 other giraffe and 3 very rudimentary animals. 1 partial pecked infill rhino engraving. There appear to be two episodes of engraving - one older and finer and another more recent and less fine attempt for the small, jackal-like animals.

Twyfelfontein 534 III
Site

Brief description of site: This site consists of a noticeable cluster of sandstone blocs between the large dry riverbed and the lower slopes of the valley sides on the 600 m contour. There is a dirt track, quite well-used, leading almost directly to the site. The hiking trail also passes directly past the site. The cluster of sandstone blocs offers a number of passageways and cave-like spaces. No sight line to the main site but good views to the north and east.

There is a very extensive surface scatter of quartzite and hornfels stone tools, concentrating at several of the cave-like spaces. There is also a noticeable presence of ostrich eggshell fragments and a few partly-worked such beads. Over the river on the valley floodplain/floor, there are numerous circular depressions, though it is not known whether these are cause by a natural or a human agency.
Brief description of art: Bushman rock engravings occur at at least 9 localities at this site complex and number perhaps 150-175 individual images. The central twice-split rock stack and the large angled rock table to its south-west have the densest concentration of imagery.

Central twice-split rock bloc: The dominant image cluster has dimensions of 2.5 m x 2.2 m cluster. The engravings are all pecked with combination of outline, infill and deeper outline with lighter infill. 6 giraffe (up to 880 mm tall), 4 rhino - one of which is white - 2 oryx, 16 other animals - probably zebra. More than 15 antelope spoor (aligned 'right way up' unlike Zeremonienplatz), 7 of which are very deeply engraved and the largest has dimensions of 110 mm x 105 mm. There is one zebra spoor. There are two cases of superimpositioning - in both cases zebra have been engraved on top of a rhino and a zebra respectively. There is one 4-toed human footprint.

Main cluster annexe: Here we encounter 11 animals - 2 giraffe (770 mm tall), 2 zebra, 1 ostrich, 7 spoor (one of which is zebra and the rest antelope), 4 cupules. On lower, 60° sloping rock in the tight squeeze section that has 4 other animals engraved and at least 40 cupules that are between 25.5 mm - 45.5 mm in diameter and between 3 mm - 8 mm deep. These latter images are in a very awkward position and would have been so also for the engraver.
Passageway behind main image cluster: On the eastern side of the largest passage through twice-split rock are 12 animals engraved with a deep pecked outline and lighter pecked infill. There is an equid with partial pecked infill. 9 equids, 6 of which have the 'three-pronged' head. 1 very good kudu bull with characteristic curly horns and 1 giraffe with fat belly and rudimentary legs. There is one possible bird engravings and a square motif. On the facing, western part of the passageway at the southern end there are 2 rough-pecked giraffe and 3 rough-pecked partial-infill equids, an antelope and an antelope spoor.

Rear vertical cluster: The back or western side of twice-split rock has two components - a vertical wall and a collapsed horizontal slab. The vertical wall has nearly two dozen pecked outline and pecked infill animals, mostly in deep pecked outline and rough pecked infill. There are 10 giraffe, 1 ostrich and 12 other animals - all equids. This imagery covers 4.7 m x 1.9 m of vertical wall.

Rear horizontal cluster: On a 20° sloping surface is an engraved cluster covering 2.9 m x 5.4 m and bears over 40 engraved animals- 18 giraffe, 3 black rhino, 21 equids, 3 of which are horned, 2 white rhino, 1 giraffe with good patterning on the neck, 19 buck, 2 elephant, 4 ostrich, and 22 large cupules, some of which are superimpose don top of the engravings. The cupules have diameters of between 23 mm - 64 mm and depths of between 8 mm - 18.5 mm with flat bottoms where the engraved has gone through the thin outer layer of Etjo sandstone into the layer beneath. 1 rhino has 160 mm long horn. There is a cluster of spoor - rhino, giraffe, antelope, equid and 1 human footprint. 1 giraffe has outstretched front legs. On the side of this collapsed rock are two antelope engraved.

Cave behind central twice-split rock bloc: Immediately behind and steeply upslope of the main site pulse is a cave-like space. Engraved into/out of the vertical cave walls is an antelope and an ostrich in a deep pecked-infill technique, a more lightly engraved equid and 3 unidentifiable quadruped animals. On the smoother northern cave wall ceiling is a carefully engraved antelope spoor and two pecked infill animal engravings. Opposite is a pecked-infill giraffe engraving whose feet end in spoor, which are shown in twisted perspective.

SW large sloping surface: Immediately SW of the central twice-split rock bloc is a huge angled slope of rock slab abutting another more squat rock bloc. Over two dozen engravings including: a fat 680 mm x 540 mm ostrich, a giraffe, 17 equids in pecked-infill, pecked-outline and partial pecked-infill. There is one equid 'mother/parent -and-child' grouping. 1 partial pecked-infill oryx. 1 very large spoor. These engravings all made with a large, punctate peck, somewhat less fine than at the main site complex. 7 further animals beyond and a 175 mm x 140 mm spoor. On opposite and vertical slope there are 2 giraffe, 2 equids, 1 very fat animal and an excellent twirly-horned kudu bull with an oryx and another animal.

Other: here and there on outlying rock blocs there are isolated engravings, some only partially completed.

Twyfelfontein 534 II
Site

Brief description of site: The site consists of a large jumble of rock blocks at the foot of an upland in a small valley at the head of and to the north-west of the Valley, 3 km from the main site complex. A seasonal watercourse runs around the western base of the rocks. There are good views to the north and east. The dry waterfall to the north-east is meant to have a site located above it.

In the cave section of the site there seems to be a good depth of archaeological deposit - perhaps as much as 1 m of soft, fine material.
Brief description of art: There are over 175 individual engravings here located in half-a-dozen main areas. Scherz has counted 5 handprints, 32 human footprints, 3 rhino, 4 giraffe, 5 zebra, 15 buck, 9 ostrich, 5 elephant, 85 animal spoor of rhino, giraffe, lion, zebra, leopard, kudu, oryx, small antelope, 8 wildebeest, 1 eland and 11 ostrich. The rock engravings are dominantly

Bushman-authored with some KhoeKhoen influence. There are also Bushman rock paintings in the cave.

Main image cluster: On one of the largest vertical and horizontal rock expanses is the densest and most extensive engraved image cluster measuring 5.4 m x 1.6 m. The subject matter is primarily fine pecked infill animals, animal spoor, human footprints and cupule-like motifs. The 'cupule's are arranged in single and parallel horizontal rows of, for example, 4 rows with 24, 27, 28 and 25 individual cupules. The cupules are between 6 mm - 22.5 mm in diameter and 3 - 18.5 mm in depth. These 'cupules' may represent the work of Khoekhoen herders, who also made finger paintings with the tips of their fingers and arranged these fingertip marks in similar parallel rows. Also, the five handprints - 2 smallest measure 100 mm and 70 mm - may also represent Khoekhoen work as they often made handprint with paint by smearing the palm and fingers with paint and then pressing the hand to the rock face. This engraved variant is rare. Animal imagery includes antelope (< 5), elephant (< 6); giraffe (< 2); rhino (<2) and zebra (<5). Of the at least 20 human footprints there is a huge 440 mm x 210 mm 6-toed example engraved in fine-pecked outline. There are over 40 animal spoor, of which 6 are clearly feline, 1 zebra and 1 possibly rhino. The tip of all the antelope spoor points downwards, towards the ground while the other spoor are the 'right way' up. 1 human footprint has 3 cupules in a row engraved at its heel. Many of the equid engravings have a very long snout - like some of the Brandberg's Domschlucht engravings. There is one possible phallus motif depicted on the main cluster an on the section where the archway begins there are two rows of 6 and 2 phallus-like motifs as well as a possible spoor engraving and a recent ostrich engraving.

Archway: There is a pecked antelope spoor and 3 cupules (17 mm - 67 mm diameter) and 5.5 mm - 28.5 mm deep) and a circular pecked outline. On the opposite side is a modern engraved butterfly.

Image cluster past the Archway: This is viewed from the central area within the archway and measures 2.3 m x 2.1m and which consists of 3 very large giraffe (largest 1130 mm x 310 mm) in a deep pecked outline and lighter pecked infill technique. The leftmost giraffe has a very exaggerated and thin 560 mm long neck. And is superimpose don top of an equid, probably a zebra. There is also 1 thin, 4 ostrich, 11 zebra, 2 other equids, 2 possible jackals with two of these being joined in mid-abdomen, giving the impression of a mirror-imaged animal.

Wall outside the cave: There are three distinct patches of parallel rows of horizontal lines of deep, sharp, cupule-like lines and possibly a fourth such row. The larger punctates are all above smaller such punctates. Middle such cluster is 1.2 m x 0.5 m. These I term 'punctates' rather than cupules because they are not round but tear-shaped and have sharp edges and a deep, pointed interior. They are about 15% longer than they are wide. They measure between 2.5 mm - 15.5 mm in diameter and are between 1 mm - 11 mm deep. Immediately above the inner cave and also a deep pecked outline and infill zebra.

Cave: There remains the white torso of a long-necked equid, perhaps a ?zebra, on one of the onion-skin-like flakes of the small (2.1 m x 1.5 m x 1 m) cave. There are some other smudges of red suggestive of the torsos of human figures. There may have been more Bushman rock paintings on rock slabs that have since fallen off the cave wall.

West side of main image cluster: Behind the main image cluster there is a jumble of smaller rocks with imagery such as a boulder bearing 5 pecked-infill ostrich, 1 of which has a very wiggly neck that seems to join to an animal head. Another ostrich is joined to a squarish motif and 3 possible human figures are close by. Further, there is 1 block-like animal and two indeterminate pecked outline animals. There is an heart-shaped and a square motif. On a facing rock there are 5 very weathered equids. Back of an adjacent boulder are two pecked infill equids and a long line.

Eastern side of the site: Here the imagery is most dispersed. There are 3 very finely pecked-infill equids and a possible roan antelope with very deeply pecked outline. There is 1 weathered and fat 360 mm x 230 mm eland that faces 2 fine partially pecked-infill ostriches and some scrape marks. . facing the Main image cluster is a big 940 mm x 650 mm bull giraffe in deep pecked-outline and partial pecked-infill. The peck marks are very punctate. A second giraffe and a good pecked infill rhino spoor on top of the giraffe are associated with a feline spoor. Possible third and smaller giraffe.

Twyfelfontein 534 I
Site

Brief description of site: NAM TWT1 consists of a huge stand-alone block-like outlier of Etjo sandstone. This vast block of rock has several components with a spire-like element in the centre and rock jumble to the west, and large rock shelters to the east and south. The site has good views to the north and east and a seasonal river flows after rains 30 m north of the site. The site is located on the flat section 80 m away from the slope of the upland on the 550 m contour. There is a noticeable echo in the south-west of the site.

All around this site and especially in the eastern and southern rock shelters, there are numerous 'lithics' or stone tools of every description on the surface of the site. These lithics all belong to the Later Stone Age, which covers the period from about 25 000 years ago until historic times. The raw materials used for these lithics are varied. Most of these are made from white quartzite. There are also opalines - a crypto-crystalline silicate rock that forms in volcanic pipes and which then occurs either as nodules in rock strata or get washed down streams. There is also hornfels (also known as lydianite or indurated shale). This raw material is everywhere available in the form of river cobbles. Every stage of stone tool manufacture is present at this site. There are cores - large lumps of rock from which stone tools are made. There are flakes - general-purpose cutting tools. Adzes are present and were used for woodworking in much the same way as a spokeshave. End and side-scrapers, often in the shape of a thumbnail were used to prepare leather. There are also rare burins and awls - used to pierce. In addition to the stone tools, there are small pieces of grit-tempered, undecorated pottery fragments. There is also some bone and charcoal and a few metal items of recent vintage. The pottery may belong to herders or early farmers who used the site. The depth of deposit in the site is hard to determine because of its size and because of the hard, consolidated earth, but it does exceed 400 mm in places, especially in the eastern shelter. There are some flat abraded patches that represent rock on which material such as plant food and possibly ochre was ground fine. Worryingly, the southern shelter's surface scatter has been severely displaced by an attempt to clear this site's floor and the surface artefacts occur like tide marks on the margins of the shelter. The site is home to Bushman and Khoekhoen rock engravings, Bushman rock paintings and cupules.
Brief description of art: There are approximately 65 images at this site.

Northern side: This side is notable for the two giraffe engraved there in a fine pecked-infill, each with a strange proboscis continuing from its snout (not a nasal or oral emission- animal 660 mm long). There is one large giraffe 560 mm x 400 mm long in a deep pecked outline and a partial pecked infill. The big head is emphasised as are the chest, head and rump in a manner that may be termed the 'Twyfelfontein manner' or style. There are also two pulses of geometric engravings here - probably made by Khoekhoen herders - which consist of joined and multiple circles as well as a 'half-dumbbell' motif.

Eastern side: There are two deep pecked outline and one fine-pecked infill zebra engraved with a 340 mm long wildebeest of buffalo image. There is a 510 mm tall pecked outline giraffe that looks to have been renewed by re-pecking and has algae or lichen growing on it. There is a thick curved pecked area below an area of natural grooves. A small 320 mm x 400 mm remnant of case-hardened Etjo sandstone bears the remains of red rock paintings in the form of two human torsos and a black quadruped body. In the northern and deeper part of the shelter is a 1.2 m x 0.4 m cluster of rock paintings: a 530 mm tall finely painted white giraffe with intricate patterning and red dorsal stripe. Nest to it is a 310 mm tall human figure with arms raised and painted all in red. There are also two white gnu-like animals. There are a further three red blobs, a black anima, remains of a red animal and two black human figures. Above and to the right of this image cluster there are 6 incised equids, of which is definitely a representation of a zebra (210 mm long) as well as a possible foal. Interestingly, these incised equids have been engraved on a piece of rock that has zebra-like patterning. Below these images is a rough pecked infill zebra with snout, a smaller pecked infill animal and a 3-toed engraved footprint.

Southern side: This is a large shelter, very high and voluminous. This shelter connect to the northern side via long natural passage between the split rock. On the western wall of this passage are several engravings. First, just above eye level there is a double row of at least 12 opposed depressions that are probably cupules, measuring between 18.2 mm - 25.2 mm diameter and 3 mm - 4 mm depth. 'Cupules' are small, semi-hemispherical hollows that humans have ground into or pecked out of the rock - - similar shape and size to half a ping pong ball. Cupules are not grinding hollows as they are either usually too small or they occur on very steeply sloping surfaces. The meaning of cupules is, as yet, unclear, but they seem to represent a way to mark certain categories of space and place. 2 m deeper into the passage there are three large pecked outline engravings - a 940 mm x 620 mm black rhino, a 310 mm x 280 mm antelope (?springbok) and a 200 mm x 110 mm ostrich that has been re-scratched.

Western side: In this rock jumble there is a large rock that has slipped and fallen onto another rock, leaving a narrow triangular gap between the two. On the uppermost surface of the lower rock is an interesting 1.9 m x 0.9 m (the rest of the case hardened upper rock surface is missing) cluster of geometric imagery that was probably made by the Khoekhoen. This collection of circles within circles and clusters of cupules within circles is very particular and reminiscent of the geometric imagery on the 'Dancing Kudu' engraved and abraded at the main site complex. These cupules are between 16 mm - 42.7 mm diameter and 2.7 mm - 8 mm deep. Two of the circular motifs - in rough pecked infill & outline have short 'tails' coming off them. There is a crescentic arc of 6 dot-cupules. There are episodic engravings on the loose rocks. High on the southern end of the big central rock bloc there are three engraved zebra - one of which has no head and a scratched-in body. These zebra 430 mm and 370 mm long, have a deep pecked outline and lighter infill pecked interior.

Two Rivers Concession II
Site
Brief description of art: The painting consists of 2 elephants, 1 rhino, 1 porcupine, 2 undetermined antelope, 8 male figures; 2 infibulated, 2 carrying circular objects that have three tassels hanging off them, 2 hunting with bows and arrows.
Two Rivers Concession I
Site
Brief description of art: The painting consists of 1 undetermined antelope, 1 tree, 1 large elephant with lots of arrows stuck in it and lots of little dots around the arrows, 15 male figures are hunting the elephant 14 carrying bows and arrows and one crouched under the elephant with two lines coming out of his back.
Turner, Claire
Person · 25/07/2006
Gender: F
Nationality: SA
Created by: stephane
Created on: 25/07/2006