Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa)
Game Pass N Shelter
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Palaeolithic to Iron Age·🇿🇦 KwaZulu-Natal, Drakensberg, Game Pass, South Africa
Unknown 1st century CE Roman artist; Photo courtesy of Annette Haug · Public domain
About
About Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa)
Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa) in KwaZulu-Natal, Drakensberg, Game Pass, South Africa is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Palaeolithic to Iron Age. Systematic survey and photogrammetry document ceramic seriation. The site includes a principal enclosure and ancillary necropolis. Dimensions panel 8.5 m × 3.2 m; shelter 28 m wide × 12 m deep; area 0.5 ha. Excavation excavated; condition ruins. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Palaeolithic to Iron Age rock-art with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 1800 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction technique
- 02Relation to regional network
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape model
- 02Elite residence hypothesis
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
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Palaeolithic to Iron Age
- Purpose
- Rock art panel and ritual gallery
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 833 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1928
Modern rediscovery and excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
28.7800° S · 28.8900° E · 1800 m · 3 mapped features
- Main Painted PanelpanelMain Painted Panel at Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa) — panel with stratified deposits28.7810° S · 28.8905° E
- Upper Gallery NichegalleryUpper Gallery Niche at Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa) — gallery with stratified deposits28.7782° S · 28.8891° E
- Ancillary Engraving ClusterengravingAncillary Engraving Cluster at Drakensberg — Game Pass Ancillary Shelter North (South Africa) — engraving with stratified deposits28.7802° S · 28.8914° E
Gallery