Autores: Virginia Lattao, Hipólito Collado Giraldo, Sara Garcês, Hugo Gomes, Pierlugi Rosina, José Julio García Arranz y Hugo Alberto Mira Perales, Boletim do Centro Português de Geo-História e Pré-Historia, 5 (2), 2023, pp. 9- 20; ISSN: 2184-4518
The caves of Escoural (Portugal) and Maltravieso (Spain) are the target sites of a documentation ... more The caves of Escoural (Portugal) and Maltravieso (Spain) are the target sites of a documentation and sampling campaign that is part of a
European Interreg project called “FIRST-ART: Conservation, documentation and management of the first manifestations of Rock Art in the SW
Iberian Peninsula: Escoural e Maltravieso caves” directed by Professor Hipólito Collado Giraldo. The project involves the study of rock art in
both Escoural and Maltravieso Caves. These two caves possess similar archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence, discovery histories,
research questions, as well as potential long-term conservation issues.
This project involved four partners (Junta de Extremadura, Spain; Direção Regional de cultura do Alentejo, Municipality of Montemoro-Novo
and Municipality of Mação) including the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Earth and Memory Institute and Geosciences Centre as scientific
institutional collaborators. The research campaign included gathering base-line information that included a unique artistic assemblage of
both cave sites, as well as development and synthesis of the documentation and study of the graphic contents of both sites, using new digital image enhancement and processing methods, including 3D scanning, a program of chronological absolute dating and geological mineral characterization, along with DNA analysis of pigments and supports and the renewal and update of micro-environmental and microbiological control equipment at both sites.
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Papers by Sara Garcês
art, which is distributed throughout the region, from the
municipality of Camucuio, with its Cipopilo sites, to the Caraculo
area, which has the largest number of shelters with rock art. The
distribution extends throughout the region, including the munici-
pality of Virei, where the Citundu-Hulu shelter stands out, and the
commune of Iona, with the Monte Negro rock art site. To date, the
Caraculo region has the largest number of rock art sites identified
in Angola. In this paper, we will discuss the general state of rock art
studies in Namibe province and, of the various shelters found in the
region. We will focus our study on four new sites firstly published
in this paper, as they are a good illustration of the diversity of rock
art in the region: Muliolila, Mu ´
cua II, Kandombolo and Cikotoue.
These four shelters were subjected to a digital documentation
protocol that is fundamental to the preservation and understand-
ing of these archaeological sites. The methodology involved the
application of a digital documentation protocol that included
digital photography of the site, panels, figures and surrounding
landscape, digital image processing, enhancement of the visualisation and interpretation of the rock art images using DStretch software, and digital tracing using Adobe PhotoshopC software.
This documentation protocol will be used not only to provide
accurate and up-to-date information about the site (thus raising
awareness of the cultural and historical importance of these sites),
but also to identify hazards and threats that may affect the site, to
monitor possible damage and to take measures to protect the site.
The motifs represented are very diverse, emphasizing zoomorphic
figures such as antelopes, cats and serpentine figures, anthropo-
morphic forms, geometric forms (simple lines, combined lines, and
circular forms) and indeterminate figures. The figures are both
monochromatic and bichromatic, with white, black and red being
the shades that can be observed (although these vary within each
colour). The predominant technique is finger painting. Hunting
scenes can be seen, either in isolation or in combination. One
suggests that there may be indications that figures were made by
at least two culturally distinct groups, even if in this paper the
authors do not present any scientific proof for this statement but
only different characteristics of the rock art. The rock art sites in the
Namibe are of great cultural and historical importance, both for
Angola and the world. They provide valuable information about
the lives and traditions of the peoples who created them and help
to promote awareness and conservation of Angola’s cultural
heritage. It is essential that intensive documentation and
awareness of the importance of this Angolan rock art heritage
be promoted and practiced on a large scale.
ATR-FTIR spectroscopy of 8 figures (four hand stencils, a red horse
figure, a black bull figure, a pair of black lines, and a pair of brown
lines). These artistic representations are composed of different
colors including red, brown, and black figures. The analyses
showed that different naturally occurred material compounds in
the cave (such as kaolinite) were used in the creation of the ochre
to obtain different hues. Hand stencils are made of earth pigment
that is naturally present in the cave which contained hematite,
magnetite, and goethite as chromophores material. The red horse
figure was made with kaolinite-based ochre. The black bull figure was made with charcoal (identified with Raman spectroscopy).
The pigmental composition analyses show that they are composed
of the same natural matter found inside the cave. Our results
suggest that different paintings in the cave have been produced by
different techniques and these techniques are linked to different
chronological periods.
art, which is distributed throughout the region, from the
municipality of Camucuio, with its Cipopilo sites, to the Caraculo
area, which has the largest number of shelters with rock art. The
distribution extends throughout the region, including the munici-
pality of Virei, where the Citundu-Hulu shelter stands out, and the
commune of Iona, with the Monte Negro rock art site. To date, the
Caraculo region has the largest number of rock art sites identified
in Angola. In this paper, we will discuss the general state of rock art
studies in Namibe province and, of the various shelters found in the
region. We will focus our study on four new sites firstly published
in this paper, as they are a good illustration of the diversity of rock
art in the region: Muliolila, Mu ´
cua II, Kandombolo and Cikotoue.
These four shelters were subjected to a digital documentation
protocol that is fundamental to the preservation and understand-
ing of these archaeological sites. The methodology involved the
application of a digital documentation protocol that included
digital photography of the site, panels, figures and surrounding
landscape, digital image processing, enhancement of the visualisation and interpretation of the rock art images using DStretch software, and digital tracing using Adobe PhotoshopC software.
This documentation protocol will be used not only to provide
accurate and up-to-date information about the site (thus raising
awareness of the cultural and historical importance of these sites),
but also to identify hazards and threats that may affect the site, to
monitor possible damage and to take measures to protect the site.
The motifs represented are very diverse, emphasizing zoomorphic
figures such as antelopes, cats and serpentine figures, anthropo-
morphic forms, geometric forms (simple lines, combined lines, and
circular forms) and indeterminate figures. The figures are both
monochromatic and bichromatic, with white, black and red being
the shades that can be observed (although these vary within each
colour). The predominant technique is finger painting. Hunting
scenes can be seen, either in isolation or in combination. One
suggests that there may be indications that figures were made by
at least two culturally distinct groups, even if in this paper the
authors do not present any scientific proof for this statement but
only different characteristics of the rock art. The rock art sites in the
Namibe are of great cultural and historical importance, both for
Angola and the world. They provide valuable information about
the lives and traditions of the peoples who created them and help
to promote awareness and conservation of Angola’s cultural
heritage. It is essential that intensive documentation and
awareness of the importance of this Angolan rock art heritage
be promoted and practiced on a large scale.
ATR-FTIR spectroscopy of 8 figures (four hand stencils, a red horse
figure, a black bull figure, a pair of black lines, and a pair of brown
lines). These artistic representations are composed of different
colors including red, brown, and black figures. The analyses
showed that different naturally occurred material compounds in
the cave (such as kaolinite) were used in the creation of the ochre
to obtain different hues. Hand stencils are made of earth pigment
that is naturally present in the cave which contained hematite,
magnetite, and goethite as chromophores material. The red horse
figure was made with kaolinite-based ochre. The black bull figure was made with charcoal (identified with Raman spectroscopy).
The pigmental composition analyses show that they are composed
of the same natural matter found inside the cave. Our results
suggest that different paintings in the cave have been produced by
different techniques and these techniques are linked to different
chronological periods.
European Interreg project called “FIRST-ART: Conservation, documentation and management of the first manifestations of Rock Art in the SW
Iberian Peninsula: Escoural e Maltravieso caves” directed by Professor Hipólito Collado Giraldo. The project involves the study of rock art in
both Escoural and Maltravieso Caves. These two caves possess similar archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence, discovery histories,
research questions, as well as potential long-term conservation issues.
This project involved four partners (Junta de Extremadura, Spain; Direção Regional de cultura do Alentejo, Municipality of Montemoro-Novo
and Municipality of Mação) including the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Earth and Memory Institute and Geosciences Centre as scientific
institutional collaborators. The research campaign included gathering base-line information that included a unique artistic assemblage of
both cave sites, as well as development and synthesis of the documentation and study of the graphic contents of both sites, using new digital image enhancement and processing methods, including 3D scanning, a program of chronological absolute dating and geological mineral characterization, along with DNA analysis of pigments and supports and the renewal and update of micro-environmental and microbiological control equipment at both sites.