Cave Paintings

Lascaux    updated 02/2015    France

A cave in France filled with amazing rock paintings and engravings. The most interesting pre-historic painted cave in Europe  

Chauvet     updated 09/2016     France          

These are the most fascinating cave paintings I have seen. With a high level of artistic skill the created animal scenes look so natural but nevertheless so dynamic and powerful in their movement. UNESCO World Heritage Site

Altamira     published 10/2019     Spain

There are many Paleolithic caves in Spain, but Altamira is number one. Here you see single color black and red images as well as multi-color paintings of high artistic skill

Cave Painting Styles   published 11/2020

We explain the different cave painting styles in southern France and northern Spain across the prehistoric periods from Aurignacian to Magdalenian with regard to animal depictions

European Rock Art 

Val Camonica I    published 10/2016     Italy     

Situated on the south side of the Italian Alpes this is the largest rock art site in Europe with over 400,000 amazing engravings of animals, many human images and unique structures

Val Camonica II     published 10/2016     Italy     

Focus on Capo di Ponte area with Nasquane and Seradina-Bedolina parks and house like structures and fighting warrior scenes or "heroe" images explained

Vallee des Merveilles      published 09/2015     France

This unique alpine rock art at an altitude of 2,500 meters is possibly the highest worldwide. The reddisch oxidized rock surfaces used for engravings make it a special ceremonial site

Coa Valley     published 10/2014     Portugal       

Amazing paleolithic rock art in northern Portugal. Coa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ibex / Ram Comparison   published 11/2020

Interesting comparison of ibex images in European rock art at various sites 

African Rock Art 

Bushman Rock Art     published 10/2016     South Africa & Namibia     

Southern Africa belongs to the top three rock art areas worldwide and San bushman started it. Most interesting are the trance dances with elongated human figures and nearly all animals the African bush has to offer

Sahara Rock Art     published 10/2021     Lybia, Algeria, Morocco, Niger, Tchad

No surprise to find a wide range of motives here before desertivication started to set in 3,000 years ago. Many different ethnic groups left their prehistoric engravings and paintings on rock surfaces

Australian Rock Art

Australian Rock Art     published 05/2020     Australia

This topic was long missing on our website. Australia truely is the most important destination for rock art enthusiasts. It has the most intriguing sites and interesting image galleries with amazing dream scenes   

Asian Rock Art Engravings

Iranian Rock Art    published 07/2017     Iran

Interesting and little known rock art in the Khomein area. Ibex are dominating here and are compared with very similar engravings in other countries 

Cholpon-Ata     published 11/2016     Kyrgystan

Kyrgyzstan has only few rock art sites, this is an interesting Bronze Age site with over 2,000 images

Tamgaly          published 11/2016     Kazakhstan

This is one of the most important rock art sites in Kazakhstan and a UNESCO site since 2004

Kazakhstan Rock Art Sites     published 05/2020     Kazakhstan

We have investigated further important rock art sites such as: Kulja-basy, Arpa-uzen, Eshkiolmes and Bayan-zhurek with amazing details

Chuluut River     updated 11/2016     Mongolia

This rare Mongolian rock art site was first reported in 1977 but after that little has been published on this site. See what we have 

American Rock Art Engravings

Serra Capivara     published 10/2019     Brazil

Amazing petroglyphs from Brazil which force us to re-write the history of immigration of the Americas. New dating results go back to over 30.000 years

Arabian Rock Art Engravings

Introduction     updated 04/2012    Saudi Arabia

Good introduction and overview of rock art in the Saudi Arabian desert with over 4,000 sites

Human Depictions     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

Interesting analysis of unique and life size human figures in Saudi Arabian rock art

Camel Depictions     published 01/2015    Saudi Arabia

Summary and analysis of camel depictions in desert rock art

Horse Depictions     published 10/2019     Saudi Arabia     

Summary and analysis of horse depictions in pre-historic rock art

Bir Hima     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia       

Multiple rock art sites in the southern Saudi desert including so-called "Post Office Rock"

Jubbah     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

The most intriguing and oldest rock art site in Saudi Arabia with over 4,000 panels full of human and animal depictions about 10,000 years old. Human figures are "life size" and include rare dancing groups with up to twenty dancers with or without masks and multiple body decorations 

Janin Cave     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

A rare cave with the oldest hand stencils on the Arabian Peninsula assumed 10,000 years old

Yatib     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

Rare palm tree engravings with camels, lions or hyenas. Small site but with over 1,000 motifs 

Wadi Adu Ud     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

Panels are covered with over 4,000 animal motifs, which is typical for this unique rock art site

First Arab Scripts     updated 04/2012     Saudi Arabia

Arab scripts found engraved on rocks all over the Arabian Peninsula analysed including: Aramaic, Dedanic, Hagaric, Hismaic, Lihyanite, Minaic, Musnad, Nabataean, Sabaic, Safaitic, Taymaic, Thamudic and Wusum