Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇳🇦 Karas, Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia
About
About Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia
Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia in Karas, Apollo 11 Cave, Namibia is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at -27.7500N 17.2500E controls access to Karas resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Karas, Apollo 11 Cave, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1963 survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia main structure
c. 1903
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1963–2008
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
27.7500° S · 17.2500° E · 101 m · 3 mapped features
Apollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
27.7492° S · 17.2509° EApollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
27.7510° S · 17.2493° EApollo 11 Cave Rock Art Layer 4 Namibia — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
27.7485° S · 17.2512° E