5 الحلي والزينة في عصور ما قبل التاريخ

Summary

This lecture explores a pivotal period in Morocco's history: prehistory and the time before written records. It focuses on rock art, which includes both rock engravings and paintings created by early humans. These artworks, often depicting animals like cattle, giraffes, and elephants, offer insights into ancient social, economic, and spiritual life. The art, discovered in over 340 sites, reveals changes in climate and environment. The lecture also discusses the evolution of rock art styles, categorizing them into four distinct phases, and highlights the challenges of dating these artifacts due to the lack of material evidence.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Prehistoric and Protohistoric Morocco**: The lecture explores an important phase in Moroccan history—prehistoric and protohistoric periods, focusing on rock art as a form of ancient expression.
• 😀 **Rock Art Forms**: Rock art in Morocco consists of two main types—**petroglyphs (rock engravings)** and **pictographs (rock paintings)**, both created by ancient humans.
• 😀 **Function of Rock Art**: Rock art served as a means of expression for early humans, reflecting their culture, beliefs, and thoughts before and after the advent of writing.
• 😀 **Geographic Distribution**: Over **340** rock art sites have been discovered across Morocco, often located near rivers or on high plateaus, in regions like the **High Atlas Mountains**, **Semi-desert Areas**, and **Atlantic Sahara**.
• 😀 **Animal Depictions**: The rock art often depicts animals like **cattle, giraffes, elephants**, and other wildlife, which give us insights into the environment, climate, and vegetation of ancient Morocco.
• 😀 **Chronology of Rock Art**: The dating of rock art is challenging due to a lack of direct evidence, but relative chronology can be established through surface changes in rocks, like **oxidation** of iron and manganese.
• 😀 **Techniques Used in Rock Art**: The petroglyphs were created through **engraving or light scratching**, while **natural pigments** (iron oxide, manganese oxide, clay, and gypsum) were used for painting. Artists used **fingers** or **fine brushes** for application.
• 😀 **Cultural and Social Insights**: Rock art offers valuable insights into the **social, economic**, and **spiritual lives** of ancient humans, and helps researchers understand changes in the landscape over time.
• 😀 **Classification of Rock Art**: Researchers have proposed **four main phases** of rock art based on the animals depicted, including the **Bison/Great Cattle**, **Equine**, **Wildlife (giraffe, elephant)**, and **Human Warrior** phases.
• 😀 **Styles of Rock Art**: Rock art can be categorized by **style**—naturalistic, decorative, or abstract—giving further context to the culture of the time, with the **Bison** period being the earliest.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lecture discussed in the script?

The main focus of the lecture is on the prehistory and protohistory of Morocco, specifically the rock art, which includes both petroglyphs and pictographs created by early humans.

What are the two main components of rock art mentioned in the script?

The two main components of rock art mentioned are petroglyphs (carvings) and pictographs (paintings).

How were these rock art creations significant to early humans, according to the lecture?

These rock art creations were a means of expression for early humans, reflecting their thoughts, culture, and beliefs, even before the invention of writing and sometimes continuing after its development.

What geographical regions in Morocco are highlighted for rock art discoveries?

The main geographical regions mentioned are the High Atlas Mountains, semi-desert areas along the Draa River, and the Atlantic Saharan region, including the Saguia el-Hamra area.

When did the first discoveries of this rock art occur in Morocco?

The first discoveries of this rock art in Morocco occurred in the second half of the 19th century.

What methods do researchers use to estimate the age of rock art, and how reliable are these methods?

Researchers use the study of the weathering process of rock surfaces, particularly the formation of oxide layers due to iron and manganese, to estimate the age. However, this method only provides relative chronological information and is not entirely reliable for precise dating.

What materials were used for creating pictographs in Moroccan rock art?

Natural pigments were used, including iron oxide for red, yellow, and orange hues, manganese and charcoal for black, and clay and gypsum for white and light colors.

How were these pictographs applied to the rock surfaces?

Pictographs were applied using fingers or fine brushes, allowing for delicate and detailed depictions of animals and scenes.

What are the four main phases or styles proposed for classifying Moroccan rock art?

The four proposed phases or styles are the buffalo phase, cattle phase, horse phase, and camel phase. Some researchers also classify them based on the techniques used, such as naturalistic buffalo, decorative buffalo, cattle style, and schematic style.

What distinguishes the 'natural buffalo' style of rock art?

The 'natural buffalo' style is characterized by detailed and realistic depictions of buffalo, often accompanied by other animals like elephants and giraffes, which are intricately carved or painted.

What is the 'Libyan warrior school' mentioned in the lecture?

The 'Libyan warrior school' refers to a group of rock art depicting armed warriors, often shown with shields or spears, riding horses. This style is associated with the late prehistoric period and is considered one of the more recent phases of Moroccan rock art.